PS: What's better to have on hand, art supplies or toys?
MS: This might sound crazy, but art supplies — hands down! You can make toys with art supplies, but you can’t make art supplies with toys. I’m sure most parents have seen their kids choose to play with a cardboard box over a new fancy toy.
Although my 3-year-old loves to play with stuffed animals, she will just as easily pretend that her snack pretzels are animals, chatting with one another in funny voices.
PS: Do the parents you work with have a hard time introducing art into their playrooms?
MS: I often hear them say: "I could never let my young kids have access to art supplies like paint or scissors. They would destroy the house."
Not allowing toddlers to independently explore with creative tools and materials is a problem. If you start at a young age, by the time they are 3 or 4, they will have learned how to respect the materials and how to self-regulate. This doesn't mean giving your 1-year-old a pair of scissors and walking away. It's a process of introducing them to art supplies, allowing them to explore as you watch with a careful eye and leaving washable, toddler-safe items accessible to them from the beginning. As they become more responsible, slowly allow access to more and more materials until they are completely self-sufficient.
