Master Class: Toddler Learning through the Masterworks

"The way a child thinks about her art is more important than the way you think about it," says Herbert. "Never impose limitations and never say, 'I'm not good at this.' It introduces fear. Never evaluate a preschooler's music, art, or dance. Make observations from fact. Say, 'there is a red circle,' or 'see these three red lines.' Evaluating may inhibit creativity or discourage a child."

The concept of children understanding art in their own way is not new. Charlotte Mason, a liberal-thinking educator in the late 1800s, wrote in her book Home Education, "We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the children's sense of beauty, upon his power of seeing, as in a picture, the common sights of life; he is enriched more than we know in having really looked at a single picture."

Parents cannot travel inside their child's brain and ensure that all the educational efforts they make are learned, stored, and applied appropriately. They can be certain, though, that introducing art and music, which have struck emotional chords in humans worldwide for centuries, will enrich an education. The developing mind of a child will soak up whatever it is surrounded with, so why not provide the best history and culture we have to offer?