How to introduce girls to sculpting

Looking for a fun way for girls to explore their creativity? Think sculpting! It’s great for building parent-daughter relationships, and an excellent way for kids to express how they view the world around them.

If she’s fond of the beach and loves making sandcastles then sculpting might be the perfect art form for her. To make sure your attempts won’t be a bust, here’s a simple guide to this wonderful leisure and bonding time activity.

Why sculpting is good for girls

Reading, science and math aren’t all there is to a kid’s education. Art can be a wonderful complement that helps girls get in touch with their creative side. And sculpting can be a fun and easy way to get artsy! Not only does it help boost imagination, but it also nurtures creativity.

Sculpting involves physical effort and lots of eye and hand coordination, so it’ll help improve those motor and reflex skills of hers quite significantly.

Sculpting also teaches children that mistakes are a part of everyday life. From that, they’ll learn to develop problem-solving skills. Those will come in handy for the bigger issues they might have to tackle in the future.

What is sculpting?

There’s a lot of talk on how beneficial sculpting can be, but what really is it all about?

A sculpture is made from the cutting, molding, shaping or carving up of a material, and the best part of this art form is, you can sculpt almost everything! From wood to metal, clay to ice and stone to even cake, there’s nearly no limit to what you can create your artworks from. It all depends on your skillset and what you’re trying to achieve.

Although there are a variety of materials that can be used to sculpt, clay, cardboard and play-doh are the mostly used for projects involving kids, and for obvious reasons. Chiseling metal or cutting stone doesn’t seem very child friendly now, does it?

Let’s get carving!

Coming up clay art ideas or deciding what to start with takes a lot of work, so it’s understandable if your daughter doesn’t know what she wants to sculpt. Since imitation is regarded as the highest form of flattery, copying a masterpiece may help, or you can follow one of the project ideas listed below.

Beyond selecting a subject or project, she needs to know how to make a sculpture and becoming a sculptress requires learning some basic sculpting techniques. It’s important that she learns the methods of how to produce a desired effect. Taking up a simple art class or watching tutorials on clay sculpting for beginners is a wonderful start.

What you need

When it comes to materials, play-doh, cardboard or even clay are great for starters. Your daughter can progress to more advanced works involving wood and the like when she’s ready to take on more difficult projects.

As for equipment, some home items and their little fingers will do just fine. Toothpicks, bottle lids, pens, crayons and pencils can be used to shape their sculpting material. Remember to let them decide and encourage them to think outside the box.

Sculpture ideas to try out

Colorful Cardboard Sculptures

These sculptures use simple materials that can easily be found at home. They’re easy, and involve teamwork between a parent and their daughter. What could be a better first time project?

Air-dry Clay Animal Sculptures

An animal sculpture is a bit more intricate but perfect for a girl that’s always up for a little challenge. Plus, we love the fact that it’s airdry clay, not everyone has a kiln lying around!

Autumn-themed Play Dough Ideas
Here’s an idea that involves more than just household items. Since you’ll need some things from the grocery store, brainstorm more play-doh ideas with her on your way there. Another perfect bonding opportunity!