Having a child that’s interested in art is great because what better time to hone their skills than when they are young and easy to teach, without having settled in a routine they’re hard to break away from? So we decided to take a look at a few art classes for kids in NYC and perhaps give you a helping hand in finding a place for them to learn more about their passion.
It’s important, from early on, that we offer our children support in becoming whoever they want to be, to encourage them to follow their dreams and nurture their passions. While some may be at the age where they can just ask to be taken to a certain class or another, some are just too young to know they have such an option. Thankfully, we found classes for all age groups so you can pick something that suits your needs.
If your child takes after you and you have some talent, you might also be interested in checking out these Beginner Art Classes for Adults in NYC, since they’ll help you broaden your horizons and to explore a part of you that has never been fully recognized before.
In order to create our list today, we checked out Class Curious, a site where you can find a lot of classes you can take, from dancing to cooking and programming. We also went with a basic Google search to find even more classes that would be perfect for your family. That being said, here are 9 art classes for kids in NYC.
9. Children’s Museum of the Arts
Over on Charlton Street, you’ll find the Children’s Museum of the Arts, which is a nonprofit arts facility trying to introduce children to the arts. The courses you’ll find here are dedicated to children as young as 10 months, and as old as 15. The art projects dedicated to them are great and the instructors will take them through every step of the project, whether we’re talking about painting, drawing, weaving, sewing, sculpting, writing, and so on.
One of the camps they offer, for instance, will have kids using wood, newspaper rolls, wire and other objects to build various structures. The day-camp starts at 9 AM and lasts to 5 PM and costs $700.
Other classes offered here handle video game design, illustrating stories, working with clay and learning how to make animations. Of course, each age group will have a different kind of classes designed for them.
8. The Art Studio NY
Not too far from Central Park you’ll find the Art Studio NY, the number 8 on our list of art classes for kids in NYC, a place where everyone can go and practice their art, learn more new things.
The location offers classes for adults, kids, teens, and even toddler, becoming a place where each child can nourish their creativity. There are even “Mommy and me” classes for those who want to try it out.
For instance, there’s a week-long camp where kids ages 4 to 11 can spend the entire day or even half of it creating multiple art projects through painting, drawing, and more. They will even have some fun by dancing, singing and making music.
The prices for such a camp vary depending on whether the kid spends half a day ($270, $360, $399) or a full day ($450, $600, $699) for three, four or five days, respectively. It all depends on how much you’re willing to spend and whether or not you have alternative plans for your kids’ time.
7. HiArt
With the studio being located at 227 West with 29 Street, it’s not hard to find HiArt, the next on the list of art classes for kids in NYC.
The place offers quite a few options for kids of all ages. For instance, they can learn how to draw manga, incorporating text, making the panels, designing the page and so on. An 8-week long class for beginners costs $540, while a 6-week long class for mixed levels costs $405.
There’s also a class for kids looking to learn how to sculpt. Children as young as 4 years old can join the class, with the 8-week long program costing $640.
For those artists who are trying to figure out who they are and what their style is, there’s also a lengthy course lasting 8 weeks. For the length of it, parents will have to pay $640, as the youngest members of the family can learn about the fundamentals of painting, drawing, using mixed media, and more.
6. Supermud Pottery
Over on Broadway, you’ll find the Supermud Potter studio, a business that got its start over 30 years ago. The studio offers all kinds of classes in pottery, Including hand building, wheel throwing and glazing.
The classes dedicated to children require the students to be at least 5 years old. Individual classes cost $45 and last for an hour and a half. There’s also a course where adults and children can spend time together and bond over a new passion. A four-week course costs $225, while adding another child costs an extra $90.
There’s also an extra course dedicated to children between 3 and 5 years old, with parent or guardian presence. The one-hour class for preschoolers will have them play with clay by pushing, pinching, rolling and squishing it as they play around. Such a class costs $45.
5. Textile Arts Center
The Textile Arts Center, one of the art classes for kids in NYC, has two locations you can choose from, depending on which one is more convenient for you and your child – one in Brooklyn (595 Carroll St.) and another in Manhattan (26 West 8 St.).
The place offers kids with quite a few options, including summer camp, day camp, or after school programs.
The Summer Camp, for instance, welcomes children ages 5 to 12, hoping to help them “create and connect with the world of contemporary and historical textiles.” In short, kids will learn to weave, design, use fibers and textiles in their craft projects and more.
Depending on the age group and the topic of the camp, the prices differ. For instance, the Summer camp for kids aged 5 and 6 costs $425, while a program for kids 7-10 years old on surface design costs $500.
4. Brooklyn Design Lab
The Brooklyn Design Lab is up next on our list of art classes for kids in NYC and this is the last chance you’ll get to enroll your kid here since this is the last full school year for the studio.
The Brooklyn-based studio offers design and art classes to kids as young as 18 months and up to kids already in the sixth grade.
The youngest attendees (18 months – 2 years) will learn the alphabet while making art, looking at, touching and examining alphabet objects before working on the day’s project. An 8-class pack costs $195 and covers both the kid and the grown-up who is likely to do most of the work.
As the age group progresses, kids learn how to make collages, carve, mix colors, use clay, draw, and design. There’s also this really cool classes for grades K to 5, where kids can design their own dragons and wizards and the worlds in which they live. Students will get to create the full universe, with ogres, unicorns and whatever else they imagine. An 8-class pack costs $250, plus another $25 for materials.
3. Art of Intuitive Photography
At number three on our list of art classes for kids in NYC we have the Art of Intuitive Photography that for the past seven years, has operated in New York, offering classes for both adults and children. There are, of course, multiple opportunities for everyone, depending on what you’re looking for specifically.
For instance, private lessons cost $150 per hour and focus on the requests of the child. There are also workshops that last for an entire day, but that can be extended. The main purpose of this type of course is to get everyone to know their cameras and to learn about photography, learning how to capture great photos. Such a workshop costs $250 per child.
Finally, there’s also a 5-day long camp where students get to learn how to use the camera while exploring New York City, as well as how to fix their photos in post production. There are two age groups here – 9-12 and 13-18, with the cost reaching $1050.
2. Private Picassos
Over at the Private Picassos, located on 5th Avenue, there are classes both for adults and kids. Children can enroll in all kinds of classes that last close to an hour and cost $28 per day or $100 per semester, covering eight classes.
For instance, kids as young as 18 months can partake in a class called “Triangles, Squares and Circles, Oh My!” where they’ll get to strengthen their fine motor skills. Kids between 3 and 5 years old can join a class called “Matisse, Monet and me” where children will get inspiration from the works of the best artists out there.
There’s also the possibility of getting a private lesson in your own home, with one such class costing $99.
1. La Pittura Studio
Finally, at the top of our list we have La Pittura Studio, located at 49 West and 28th street. This isn’t necessarily a place that’s dedicated to kids, but children do join in the painting sessions, with the mention that many of the adults may be drinking a glass of wine or so. If that’s not something that bothers you, then your child is more than welcomed.
Classes cost anywhere from $40 to $80, depending on the topic of the class and its length.
The place also organizes parties for kids as young as 6 with the minimum number of guests being 10. Such a party costs $35 for a person if the party lasts for two hours or $40 if the party lasts for 3 hours.
That being said, these have been 9 art classes for kids in NYC that we hope you’ll try out.