The artists in my family come in small sizes. Ian is my 3 year old Picasso while Katie, my 1 year old, dabbles in abstracts. As they mature in their work, artistic needs will change. Following are suggestions for great gift baskets for the child artist that will spark their imagination while exposing them to many forms of art and masterpieces that have already been created.

For The Abstract Artist (age 1-2)
Begin with a cardboard box. Crumple newspaper and bright colored tissue paper to fill. Nestle amidst the paper a pad of white paper, a box of crayons, finger paints and Baby Van Gogh Digital Board Book DVD by Baby Einstein.

For The Picasso (age 3-4)
Fill a shoebox with pictures from magazines that you know the child will enjoy. Fill the remainder of the shoebox with glue sticks, markers, and glitter pens. Include The Little Hands Art Book by Judy Press.

For The Cartoonist (ages 5-6)
Place How to Draw Cartoon Birds (Kid's Guide to Drawing) by Curt and Kelley Visca and multiple sketch pads in the bottom of a Tupperware container. Fill the container with a pencil sharpener, colored pencils, and a box of number 2s.

For The Realist (ages 7-8)
In a canvas bag place a camera, film, sketchbook, charcoal pencils, a paint by number, and The Child's Book of Art by Lucy Micklethwait.

For The Sculptor (ages 9-10)
Fill a paper sack with recycled material from around the house (oatmeal containers, paper towel tubs, etc.) Add items like molding clay, craft glue, mod podge, and seashells. Include The Art Book For Children from Phaidon Press to introduce a variety of artistic forms.

The most important element to each of these baskets is your time. The joy is found in those moments that you spend exploring the child's creativity and developing life long memories. Sit and watch your tiny Michelangelo at work.

Bonus:
Here's a gift basket for the mom to immortalize her child's art.

For The Mom
In a new bucket (otherwise known as a small decorative trash can) place: letter-size lamination sheets, lamination machine (or copy shop gift card), letter-size decorative cardstock paper, decorative scrapbook paper, glue stick, 1 yards decorative ribbon, two recipe cards with the following instructions, and The Preschoolers Busy Book by Trish Kuffner.
Card #1 ART BOOK
Tools: letter-size lamination sheets, lamination machine, children's artwork (letter-size or smaller), letter-size cardstock paper, white card stock, decorative scrapbook paper, acid-free

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