Best Places For Kids' Summer Art Activities In Chicago

Sara Lugardo

The summer can be filled with outdoor activities, camps and endless festivals geared towards children in Chicago. However, it's important not to overlook how creativity and imagination is important in developmental growth for kids. Art activities can help stimulate creativity, boost confidence for your children and make for some great crafts and projects for posting around the house. Take advantage of the many summer art activities in Chicago so you can give your children a well-rounded time off from school.

Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 443-3600
www.artic.edu

General admission for the Art Institute of Chicago is $23 for adults, with discounts for children 14 and up, seniors and students. However, with free admission for kids under 14, there are a number of family friendly art-making activities, exhibits, games and much more. There are programs for children of all ages, but The Little Studio program is geared towards kids ages three to five. The Little Studio is a drop-in program with no registration required. It is located in the Ryan Education Center and is free for both adults and children alike.

August House Studio
2113 W. Roscoe St.
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 529-5440
www.augusthousestudio.com

Instead of signing up for a local park district art program, an actual art studio can help to hone skills and knowledge about a number of different media. The kids' classes offered at August House Studio are geared towards children five to 14 in age. It is a 10-week program that costs $200. The price includes all materials and a small snack, with each class lasting 1.5 hours long. Kids will explore portraits and animal pictures through drawing, painting, block printing, mixed media, scratch art and a number of other types of art. Each child will get their very own sketch book. This is a great way to stimulate creativity through instructors that have years of experience with art and working with children.

Creativity Camp  
Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell Ave.
Chicago, IL 60615
(773) 324-5520
www.hydeparkart.org

Hyde Park Art Center has a number of youth classes and camps to choose from. The Creativity Camp is from June 24 to July 5, 2013. There are three separate sections: PreK-1, grades 2-3 and grades 4-5. Campers will work with a variety of different art media with a wide range of memorable arts and crafts activities. It combines hands-on art activities with imagination and self-expression, with all the supplies included. The price is $670, not including a bag lunch.

The Paintbrush
2856 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 636-1968
www.thepaintbrush.net

The Paintbrush has classes for children as young as 18 months with parent to young teens. Each class is unique to the age specification of the students, whether it's parent-tot art interaction for the 18-month-olds or a kids' fashion drawing class for ages seven to 13. However, The Paintbrush prides itself on being much more than just an art class. It integrates play, music and art with the creative process in all of its classes. The 10-week sessions are on a rolling admission schedule, so parents can call or email at any time to set up a class schedule for their child. These sessions are $250 but there are also art camps that are payable at $55/day or $270/week. With no enrollment, registration, membership or material fees, The Paintbrush encourages parents to call to set up a trial class to see whether or not it would be the right fit for your child.

Kids Clay Room
719 W. Wrightwood
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 416-4511
www.kidsclayroom.com

Not all art activities include drawing, stencils or fingerpaint. Working with clay is a great way to integrate different media into art projects. Also, it can create long-lasting crafts that can be cherished for years to come. Kids Clay Room can schedule individual workshops at 1.5 hours long which include clay, glazes, tools and firing. The price per child varies between $25 to $30, depending on the number of children attending. Kids Clay Room will be holding a Mother's Day Workshop on April 27, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. to create projects that will be ready for pick-up before Mother's Day. The cost for this workshop is $35 per child with siblings getting a $5 discount.

Sara Lugardo is a professional writer out of Chicago, Illinois. She has a Bachelor's in Communication and is currently working on her Master's. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.