Frequently Asked Questions

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How much does your program cost? Are there any extra art materials I need to buy?

Please visit our location and fees page for more information. Our fees are all inclusive.

Do you collect my child?

If your child is attending a class onsite at their school, or nearby at Scout or Baptist Hall, yes, we meet them at the end of the school day and supervise while they have their afternoon tea. We then walk them to the classroom. Parents do not need to leave work to get them somewhere else!

Do you provide afternoon tea?

We ask parents to provide afternoon tea, however, we do supply rice crackers for those who forget (or pretend to forget as they love our cracker choice!) Please note, we are a strict NUT FREE activity.

I’m not sure if my child will like it. Can they come for a Trial class first?

Yes, we offer a once-off paid Trial class at the cost of a single term class. Trial classes are held several times throughout the term to provide the least disruption to our regular students. Please contact us to find out when our next trial class will be held. The Trial class is payable before they attend the trial class. We will follow up after class and, all going well, we can extend the booking. The remainder of the term will be invoiced and payable within 7 days.

Do you provide discounts for Siblings? Other discounts – for hardship?

We are no longer able to provide sibling discounts. We are a small business, we do not receive any government subsidies and therefore are not able to provide discounts. However, we have an Art Scholarship Fund which you can consider applying for after your child has attended at least one full term with us.

What if my child is sick or can’t attend – is there a make-up class or refund?

We provide a make-up class if you contact us on the day and advise of your child’s absence. Please see our Terms & Conditions of enrolment. We do not refund as we have fixed-term financial commitments. In some cases, we may provide credit towards a holiday program. Refunds are only provided if we cancel a class or, if in discussion with parents, decide it would be better for the child to withdraw and try again later. If you know in advance you will be away for an extended break, please contact us and we can discuss options.

My child doesn’t attend any of the schools listed – can they still come?

Absolutely! External students arriving from other schools will need to be dropped off by a parent/carer by 3.25 pm.

How old are the children in your classes?

Our classes cover Kindergarten through to Year 6. Where numbers and room hire allows, we will split into K-2 and Yr 3-6, however, our standard class will have a wide range of ages. We do insist on Kindergarten children attending a once-off paid trial class to ensure they can cope with the structured after-school activity and also general motor skills required for the class.

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My child is quite anxious about starting new things – will they be OK?

Yes! Like most adults, children get anxious about starting new things or learning a new activity. Our Tutors have a raft of tips and tricks to help your child settle in. If you’d like to accompany your child for the first week or two and settle them in, you are very welcome to do so. We find most kids settle within 15 to 30 minutes of the class starting. Our booking form provides several questions relating to your child’s learning needs and we encourage parents to fill in as much information about their child’s way of learning to assist them and our Tutors and Assistants. We may suggest a second Trial class to help ease them in.

My child has been diagnosed with ADHD/ASD/High anxiety – can they come?

Yes, we want artKids to be accessible to all kids and, as a parent of a child diagnosed as ASD/Aspergers and inattentive ADD, I understand how high anxiety, perfectionist tendencies, OCD tendencies, sensory issues, fatigue, restless bodies, etc can affect the way a child learns. Our in-house Tutor training program includes processes for understanding and dealing with different learning styles and associated behaviours, however, please note our Tutors are NOT special needs trained – they are Artists sharing their passion for art and doing their best. If you have any questions, please contact us at admin@artkidsaustralia.com

Please note that as part of our enrolment Terms & Conditions, we have a Three-Week Behaviour Management Policy that lets us, your child and you assess how they are behaving in our after-school class and provides a few weeks for them to settle. We may suggest that they wait until they are a bit older to handle the rigours of a structured art class after-school, or we may negotiate an early pick-up time to ensure your child and other students in the class have the best artmaking experience possible. If your child requires constant hands-on assistance from one of our Assistants to keep them focused, we will suggest they try again when they are older OR a parent/carer can attend alongside them. We are a small business and do not have the resources to have our Assistant focused on only one child in a large class scenario. Our Saturday studio classes may better suit your child as they are held in the morning when children tend to be fresh and focus easier. Talk to us!

With regard to our School Holiday Program, please note that, as a general rule, we no longer accept children diagnosed with ASD for a full day – they can attend either morning or afternoon sessions only. If you feel your child can attend a full day, please discuss with us before finalising enrolment. Please make sure all Emergency contact details are current and people are aware they are your Emergency Contact.

What kind of art do you teach?

We focus on developing drawing skills and exploring different art mediums over the course of a 10-week term. We include Art Connection opportunities at the start of our classes to expose children to different artists, illustrators and art movements. We run process art classes which, put simply, means we are more interested in the making–doing–exploring than ‘getting it right’ -that comes later as they mature and can focus. We teach skills and techniques that allow for individual subject matter choices.

How can I find out if you teach in my child’s school? Where are you located?

During term time we currently operate out of 12 schools as well as our Turner-based artKids studio. Please visit our location and fees page for a full list of class locations. We have a waiting list for schools interested in starting our program in your school. Please contact our Admin if you’d like to see a class started at or near your school.

Do you run classes on Saturdays?

Yes, we do. Please see our Saturday class schedule.

Do you run Anime or Cartooning classes?

Yes, we do. Please see our Saturday class schedule.

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I have a teenager who is interested in art. Do you have classes for teens?

Yes, we do. We have Cartooning and Anime classes. Please see our Saturday class schedule.

Do you run a School Holiday Program? What are the ages?

Yes, we do. Please see our School Holiday Program schedule. The general age range is 5 to 14 years.

Why is my child coming home with scribblings?! What am I paying you for?

Athletes do warm up stretches; musicians do warm up scales; and artKids do warm-up scribbles! Scribbling is a quick and easy way to transition a child from a highly-structured day of learning and into their creative brains after a day in the classroom. But it’s not just scribbling. We start with warm-up drawing games to loosen up our shoulders, wrists and fingers and prepare for art. We use observational drawing games to train our Artist’s Eye to really ‘see’ what is in front of us, not what we ‘think’ we see. Our Scribble Creatures game is a favourite. Children are given permission to scribble all over their page – and they love it! Then they turn their page around and try and find creatures hidden in the scribble. Within minutes they can see all sorts of things – some realistic and some imaginative. Ask them to scribble on a page for you and watch their face light up! We strongly recommend scribbling every day.

I don't recognise anything my child draws. I don't want to hurt his/her feelings. How can I talk to him/her about her art?
  • Excellent question! Firstly, what your child draws is only half what is going on. Try asking “What’s happening on your page?” rather than asking “What’s that?” Sometimes you’ll get a shrug and that’s OK, don’t push it. Most often you’ll get a long, convoluted story which is added to in the telling.

Do:

  • Say “Tell me about your art.”
  • Comment on what you see. “I see you’re using lots of red and green lines. And you’ve drawn some yellow circles here. I like how the yellow and red are mixing together. Did you mean to do that?”
  • Acknowledge their effort. “I can see how carefully you’ve been working on your drawing. You’re really enjoying it.”

Don’t

  • Ask “What’s that?!” or say “I like your tree” (‘cos it probably isn’t a tree!)
  • Say an automatic “That’s pretty.” Kids know the difference. Instead, be specific and comment on what you see or acknowledge their effort. “I like how you’ve used two shades of green there.”

Check out The Artful Parent for more great ways to share art with your children.

I don't want more pieces of paper cluttering the fridge and walls. Do I have to hang up their art?

A kindergarten child handed me her practice drawings with a sad face. “Mummy said not to bring these home.” She had spent some time on the practice drawings that session, doing some rubbing out, adding a line here, curving another one there, asking for help when she needed it. By the time she was finished, she’d learnt how to draw a haunted house.

Was it a masterpiece? No. Was it the best thing she’d ever done? Again, no. Had she learnt from it? You bet she did. But if she threw it in the bin, where was her sense of achievement? What could she copy from to draw another haunted house, this one better than the last? Now, what if it was hanging on the fridge? She’d see it in the morning when she got her milk. She’d think about how she had trouble at first, but she persevered and overcame her hesitancy, and in the end, she drew a house. Each time she looks at it, she can see how she could do better next time. Encourage her to try again. “Show me how you drew that house. It looks very scary.” Soon enough she’ll be tearing that practice one down and putting up a masterpiece. And that’s why you hang up their art.

What type of drawings should my child be doing at this age?

First stage: around two to three, children do simple scribbling and mark making on the page. Not surprisingly, it’s all about the process.

Second stage: around preschool is the appearance of round shapes. It’s all about the process – must attend at artTots class!

Third stage: around preschool and Kindergarten, children draw symbolically. All of a sudden, they start to recognise a rounded scribble or a painted shape as something else. There will be a story going on their page.

Fourth stage: around Kindergarten (4 – 5 years old), faces and people appear – without bodies, just heads with arms and legs.

Fifth stage: around 5 – 7 years old, children start to draw on a baseline and include more representational drawing of houses, families, cars, bikes, trees, etc. They are drawn as they know them, so there’s no perspective or scale.

Sixth stage: around 8 – 10 years old, perspective and scale kick in. Things get a bit harder and typically, these are the ages when children lose interest in their drawing skills if they haven’t received encouragement or appreciation of their efforts. This is an age when they become aware of fitting in with their peers and following the pack. Their ability to self-appraise is strong and the belief that they are not good enough can have them packing their pencils away for good. Definitely must attend an artKids workshop!

How can I encourage my child's creativity and art?

See above – How can I talk to my child about their art. (link above)
Also, daily 15-20 minutes practice always helps! We highly recommend the following two You Tube channels for kids.

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