How do we expose our children to the great master artists? After visiting a museum, is there a way to bring those incredible visual experiences back home?
My father-in-law played this game with his youngest daughter, and I thought it was a brilliant way to familiarize young children with masterpieces of art. Whenever visiting a museum, he would purchase two postcards of each piece of art he enjoyed. He would then use these postcards to play "Go Fish" with his daughter. They would shuffle the postcards and each take five and leave the rest in a pile to draw upon when they needed to refill their hands. He would ask her, "Do you have Monet's Water Lilies?" and she would respond accordingly. If she didn't recognize the name, he would simplify the phrasing: "Do you have a picture of a lake with flowers floating on it?" If she did, she would hand it to him and he would respond, "Great! Claude Monet's Water Lilies!" By repeating the name of the artist and the piece of art, he was exposing her to the various names and helping her remember these incredible masterpieces.
Another great game to play with postcards is "Memory". Be sure to repeat the artist and their work of art as you flip the postcards over. "Here is Van Gogh's The Reaper... I think I remember seeing this same man reaping hay over here!"
Games with art postcards have the potential to expand a young child's appreciation of art. Imagine seeing the real piece of art after only seeing the postcard!
Go Fish with the Master Artists
December 4, 2008
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Games, art
