Art Playdates
Virtual classes made for children. A whole year of making, playing, and imaginative thinking!
What is an Art Playdate?
Meet Harrison Smith, an early childhood educator and the warm, welcoming guide behind our Art Playdates. In this year-long collection of recorded 30-minute classes, Harrison always begins with some loose parts play. He then reads a thoughtfully chosen book with your child and invites them to create and explore alongside him using simple, everyday materials.
Designed to spark open-ended creative thinking and launch children into independent making, each Art Playdate can unfold in whatever way your child chooses. They can create along with Harrison from beginning to end, pause and come back later, or follow an idea that takes them somewhere else entirely. There’s no right way to participate, and often the Art Playdate is just the beginning.
In an age where children’s attention is a commodity, Art Playdates are a nod to a gentler era of children’s programming, when the goal wasn’t to keep children glued to the screen, but to send them back into their own world full of ideas.
A different kind of screen time.
Art Playdates move at the pace of childhood. Harrison’s warm, soothing presence invites children to settle in, listen, wonder, and think. There’s no rush to get to the next thing, no constant stimulation, and no pressure to keep watching. There are pauses, quiet moments, and time to consider an idea.
We believe children need more experiences like this. Opportunities to develop patience, stay with a thought, listen to their own ideas, and discover what interests them without someone constantly directing their attention. Harrison creates the feeling of sitting down with a trusted grown-up who has nowhere else to be.
And then, little by little, the screen becomes less important. A book sparks a thought; a material catches their attention; an idea begins to take shape. Children wander away from Harrison and into their own world of making and play.
That’s really the point of an Art Playdate. The video is there to begin something and spark a good idea! Not to endlessly hold their attention.
Try an Art Playdate!
In this lesson, we create a 3-D sculpture from recycled materials.
Book: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Materials: Glue gun, recycled materials
Skills: Building, constructive iteration, shapes, imagination, symbolic thinking, visual composition.
So much to explore in this year of making, thinking, and growing.
40 recorded Art Playdates across 10 monthly themes
Each 30-minute class includes a thoughtfully chosen picture book, a simple collection of materials, and an open-ended invitation to explore.
A rich introduction to art materials and techniques as children explore painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, construction, engineering, printing, textiles, loose parts, and more.
New vocabulary woven naturally into books, materials, art, and conversation.
No single outcome is expected, which leaves room for flexible thinking, iteration, perseverance, and learning to trust their own inner voice.
Building so much more than art skills, the classes give children time to think independently, grow their imaginations, and see possibilities all around them.
“In a world where screen time is so much about consuming, watching my child’s eyes light up as he played and explored alongside Harrison was priceless! Not only do I feel great about taking 25 minutes to myself while he creates, the experience usually continues for quite awhile longer after. Sam has become way more independent and confident through this experience.”
Rebecca, parent to Sam, age 5
Purchase a Year of Art Playdates!
40 Art Playdates that nurture curiosity, imaginative thinking, creative confidence, and a lifelong love of the handmade.
FAQs
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Art Playdates can be watched by all ages. Babies might love Harrison’s soothing voice and can hold bigger loose parts while a sibling engages with the lesson. The sweet spot for this programming is ages 3 to 8, when a child can watch and engage independently.
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The beauty of The Creativity Project approach is that you can just use what you have! You will need a few basics, like some sort of paint, glue, scissors, tape, paper, and a tarp to cover your maker table.
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Not at all! Although the classes are seasonal and we do use more leaves and pinecones in the fall and winter, and more flowers and outdoor play in the spring and summer, there is no reason you can’t use these materials at any time of the year.
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No. You will have to purchase the guides separately. However, your child will not need the guides to fully engage with and enjoy Art Playdates!
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You will have unlimited access to your Art Playdates and can watch them at your own pace, whenever you have time.