Teaching the joy of giving is so easy to do with children and it is one of those life lessons that shouldn't be forgotten. One of the ways I taught my kids this joy was through their annual birthday gift to their Dad.
This idea works with kids or grandkids. I started it with my children when they could first draw. For their Daddy's birthday I had them create a drawing. They framed it by putting it one of those plastic insert frames for photos. And they - at age three proudly gave him a birthday present made just by them. We repeated it every year. And now we have a beautiful history of the drawing development of our daughters.
Here are the first five drawings completed by each daughter. You can view the entire series by visiting my Picassa page with links noted below. It is entertaining to notice the development of both the human form and perspective through the years. Very classic.
The first set is by Karen beginning in 1985 when she was almost three. Karen's entire collection of kid art for her Dad is here.
by Karen 1985
by Karen 1986
by Karen 1987
by Karen 1988
by Karen 1989
And here is the series by Amy starting in 1984: You can view the entire collection of Amy's Kid art for her Dad here.
by Amy 1984
by Amy 1985
by Amy 1986
by Amy 1987
by Amy 1988
I decided on a small frame size ( just 4' x 6") and about a month before his birthday I provided paper the correct size. The girls could draw as many drawings as they wanted and select their favorite or just draw one. We had them all displayed in a collection of frames on the wall at the foot of our bed. When they stopped the annual gift, they were in high school and we had a collection of 32 frames filled with brightly colored art. It was a focal point that often lead to interesting discussions as the girls grew.
We have since removed them for other decorating ideas but saved them. I scanned them all for this project and David is going to start using them as the background images on his iPad. So there is the adaptation for the current generation. Have the kids or grandkids create art to be used as either a screen saver slide show or background images on iPhones and iPads. And if they do draw them on regular paper with marker and crayons, scan them. They fade terribly over time and part of the beauty is in the color.
And, my girls know from experience that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.
Previous Posts of Interest • The Gramzee Series:
©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy
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