The average child will in the UK produce more than 2,000 arts and crafts pieces for their parents before they turn 12, according to a study*. And those items tell the story of their childhood through art.
Researchers found that parents in London face an uphill struggle to find space for the masses of drawings, greeting cards and ceramics produced by their little ones.
The overwhelming majority (69 per cent) will display all of their kid’s creations at one time or another, with the fridge being the most popular place to exhibit them.
Commissioned by BIC to mark the launch of the BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award, the research of 2,000 parents found those in London will typically display their children’s masterpieces for around nine months at a time.
And more often than not, the only reason they are taken down is to make way for new arts and crafts items.
“Creativity is a massive part of a child’s development and as the results show, they are incredibly prolific,” said Jo Hollins, Head of Marketing and Category Management at BIC UK and Ireland.
“While the three most common items children produce for their parents are drawings, paintings and greetings cards, the research shows the huge sentimental value all arts and crafts can have for parents – effectively telling the story of their children through art. Of course, making room for every item is no mean feat!”
The research found 68 per cent of parents in the region have kept the first arts and crafts item their child ever created for them and 74 per cent are keeping a box of their children’s arts and crafts items to give to them when they are older.
But that doesn’t stop proud parents sifting through the box in the meantime – and 61 per cent admit to feeling happy each time they do so.
Carried out through OnePoll, the BIC® KIDS research also found that 58 per cent of mums and dads believe their child has genuine artistic talents and five in 10 of those in London have struggled to find room to display everything their kids make for them.
As a result, they can’t keep everything, but 37 per cent of their children’s output is kept for posterity.
Two fifths (38 per cent) even resort to scanning or photographing every masterpiece to free-up space in their homes and ensure no piece is lost or forgotten.
This summer, the BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award will be rewarding the creativity of children from across the country by offering them the opportunity to see their artwork graduate from the fridge door to billboards!
Open to all 5- to 11-year-olds, entrants are encouraged to exercise their artistic flair, let their imaginations run wild and draw with complete freedom. Once kids have created their showstoppers, parents can enter by simply visiting www.bickids.co.uk/youngartist and uploading the artwork before the deadline on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Once entries close on Aug. 4, BIC’s expert judging panel will select one finalist from each region, whose amazing artwork will be used on local billboards throughout the voting stage of this year’s BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award.
The 13 finalists will also receive a certificate and a bundle of BIC® KIDS goodies. Specifically designed to help children hone their artistic talent, the hampers will include an array of exciting stationery products including the BIC® KIDS Evolution Ecolutions® Colouring Pencils and BIC® KIDS Kid Couleur Felt Tip Colouring Pens.
Once the public has decided who will be crowned the overall champion for the 2019 BIC® KIDS Young Artist Award, the winner will have his or her artwork published on a combination of 6-sheet posters and a 48-sheet billboard.
