Graffiti Club: Children’s Art in Lockdown

August 3, 2020

Why is Graffiti art good for children? It is super easy, fun and fantastic for kids creative expression when encouraged to develop in the right way. From the comfort of home, online, kids and parents can engage in drawing a Graffiti wall design using paper, markers and any other materials lying around the house. Also it involves ‘colour’ which I encourage every child to find! FitKidz with Heidi has been encouraging children to find different means of expression and so Graffiti Club began on a Friday evening from 7-9pm in April 2020 on Zoom and continues every week.

This class is super fun as the kids explore and express their emotions in a casual creative way on their own. Rest assured I am not asking kids to draw or spray paint their walls but I am encouraging them to find their own writing style through words and drawings. The time spent in lockdown was intense for children and while frustrations still exist and uncertainty, this club offers a safe place to create, explore and allow children to find a uniqueness in their own artistic expression.

Created by Ronan in April 2020

Modern graffiti was made famous in New York City in the early 1970s by the children of the working class. They called it “writing,” and called themselves “writers.” In a 1971 New York Times article, the term “graffiti” was first used to refer to the new urban art explosion that was becoming popular in New York City. This period of the early 1970s is known as the “Original School.” Later in the 1980s, the next generation of graffiti artists is known as “Old School.” (Graffiti Facts For Kids)

Graffiti has a history – but what is our history now during COVID-19? What are we now doing to help and encourage children to do during these times? Is there a new form of Art being developed by kids in lockdown?

I think yes and I have witnessed such beautiful designs – designs I cannot find a word to describe, a uniqueness in style I have not seen before. This new Art shows frustration and in sad times ‘grief’, in good times ‘hope’ and in times when the world is uncertain – ‘fear’. But whatever the creation we should be embracing this kind of release of tension. This is the exact reason I decided to teach art as well as fitness online. To truly physically and emotional develop into an adult – children need to explore their own creativity and find their niche in style.

Every child needs an outlook to express themselves and no better time during COVID-19. I tell kids they don’t need to be master artists but simply be willing to try to explore their life’s passions through art development and simply try and ‘find’ something. Every child has a dream and many gifts, why not use this kind of style of writing to remind them of their future aspirations and journey in life. Graffiti Club is a popular ‘check in’ Friday Evening Club where kids jump online to play, interact, laugh, cry, express, release and sing along to their favourite music while being instructor led by Heidi Ellen Love.

“I use this class to train children in mindset art techniques, to engage in colour therapy. Colours surround us, in the natural world, in the homes we live in, the clothes we wear and even in the shows we watch. They can have an emotional effect on us. Colour can change the way we feel and react to different situations. Colour can heal, sooth and challenge us to face difficult circumstances such as COVID-19″.

Many thanks to all children who continue the journey of expression through different classes online today. It is through tremendous determination children use art to release, explore, dream and forget life’s somewhat uncertain future.