PESHAWAR: Noted artist Ali Sajid has advised parents and elders to engage their school going children in painting and drawing activities as it would help them not only to restrict their outdoor movements but would also boost their self-confidence and sharpen their sense of self-expression.

He said that art activity enhanced creative sense and helped children to behave maturely towards unusual phenomenon. He said that art activities did not require sophisticated paraphernalia but only a pencil, marker and a white chart or paper were all that could make a child create his/her own world.

“Encourage children to paint or draw what they think or want to bring out their reactions regarding any kind of situation. Colours fascinate children more than any other thing. Children can best beat down trauma or inviable fear through art activities,” said the senior artist.

He said that children should be left to their own choice to express their feelings, fears and reactions through pencil, marker and colours as it would be a playful activity and even parents and elders could pick up pencils and brush to pour out their thoughts on a white paper, wall or canvas.

Artist says children should be encouraged to paint or draw what they think

He told this scribe that children could be best engaged on daily basis in painting and drawing activities. He said that in the wake of coronavirus threat, children were prone to get traumatised because they found no clue to the unexplainable fear and even parents and elders around them seemed to be uncertain about the fast spreading pandemic.

Mr Sajid, a popular water colourist, said he and his two children Musa Khan and Yaha Khan, 6th and 3rd grader respectively, started their every day with painting and drawing activities as it helped them to strengthen their mutual bond.

“Every morning we walk up to our home art gallery, get to our seats and pick up brushes and colours plates and begin painting what we think or feel. I don’t give any directive for the activity. I think parents and elders should provide their children with pencils, white papers and pack of colours/markers which are available in the market,” he added.

Imran Takkar, chief of Peshawar chapter of Group Development Pakistan, told this scribe that his organisation had already announced an art competition among children and youth to engage them productively at homes.

“Interestingly, most entries are being submitted from across the province including tribal districts. On March 27, names of three top winners would be shared online on GDP website. The only object is to engage school and college students in creative activities in their homes,” he added.

Rukhsana Iqbal, a teacher at a private school in Peshawar, said that although she was not an artist, yet she along with her three children picked up colour kits and painted wonderful images and spent an interesting time together. She suggested other parents to engage their children in such fruitful and creative activities.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2020