Children’s Art Classes
Art classes that focus on the journey
Classe Petit offers drawing and painting classes for kids in Melbourne, from ages 4 to 12
Classe Petit focuses on the journey, not the destination. We don’t talk about what’s “correct” or “proper”; we encourage free explorations of ideas and techniques, which very often leads to discovering a whole new world of possibilities.
Classes are temporarily suspended due to COVID-19
Inspiring self-expression
We nurture more than just technical skills – we build artistic confidence and embrace the many unique perspectives children have on art. It’s the journey that matters, not where we end up, and most of the time it’s more fun that way!
Exploring ideas freely
Every class is based on a theme and kids will have the autonomy to direct their exploration, with our Classe Petit mentor assisting them in bringing their ideas to life.
Parent Testimonials
I found Sheng via this website & setup a trial class for my 6 year old daughter. Since that first class my daughter has loved going to Sheng's place every Saturday. To say it’s her favourite activity is an understatement!!
In the short time she has been with Sheng, her drawing skills have noticeably improved. More than that she has a lot of fun painting, drawing with Sheng.
Sheng has been patient, encouraging and supportive of her drawing style and brought out a lot of creativity in her. I personally find Sheng a passionate artist who is great with little people and provides a nurturing, fun environment for them to find their inner artist. I highly recommend Sheng to any parent who want their children to learn drawing whilst having fun. You won’t regret it.
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My two daughters are very happy to learn drawing from Sheng Yi. She is very nice, patient, and always encourages my girls to be creative and makes each class so enjoyable. Each class has different topic and my girls get a wide exposure to arts. They do a lot drawing at home now.
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School holiday camps
School holidays approaching? We can also host art bootcamps for kids, anywhere from 1 to 8 weeks of non-stop art activities!
Frequently Asked Questions
What can kids do with art work?
There are many things you can do with a kid’s artwork. If you have available wall space, you can create a mini ‘art gallery’ of their work by displaying them for everyone to see. This boosts their confidence and in some cases even promotes more art making (in their attempt to see more of their art fill the wall!). You can also turn your kid’s artwork into gifts for others, in the form of greeting cards, calendars or even T-shirts.
Can art be taught?
Artistic ability is innate in all of us. If you’ve ever worked with children, you’ll notice that every single one of them is able to create art – it’s when we grow up that we get out of touch with this skill we’re born with. When children attend an art class at Classe Petit, what’s taught is not how to make art per se (they already how to do know that), but they’re taught how to consciously use their thoughts, opinions and emotions to express an idea.
How do you introduce art to children?
The best way to introduce art to children is to simply make art with them – and it doesn’t even matter how good you are at it. Present them with a variety of free form (open ended) tools to play with: pencils, pastels, paints, clay. Hold off prescribing them with any closed ended materials such as stamps, stickers, moulds, and paint-by-number templates, as these don’t allow them the greatest artistic freedom. While you are creating with them, avoid any form of judgment (“That’s not a monkey”, “Bananas aren’t blue”) and instead ask them questions about why they chose to make those artistic decisions. The point is not to steer them towards correctness, but towards expressiveness.
You can also introduce art to children by bringing them to an art gallery …nothing beats seeing a piece of art in person!