A painted mural
A youth center is meant to be a safe place for kids to have fun after school and on the weekends. There are many types of paint projects you can pursue and that children will enjoy. Youth centers create a sense of community for children, giving them an opportunity to interact with other children and even volunteers from the community. The most successful art projects involve everyone in a group project.
Community Mural
A terrific project for a group of children at your youth center is creating a mural. The mural can be on a wall at the youth center or somewhere else, such as the outside wall of a public building. (Be sure to get permission from the owner.) For this type of project, some planning must be done so that the children will understand what type of design you will be creating and what their part in the project will entail. For example, you might assign painting flowers and grass to one group of children (perhaps younger children) and painting people and structures to older children.
Helping Others
A wonderful project is painting for people in your community who need a smile. This type of project will not only teach artistic skills to children but also teach them the concept of empathy for others. Students could create individual paintings for elderly or disabled people or for members of the armed services far from home. The purpose of the painting should be explained to students, and they should be encouraged to send a special message to the recipient of their work. For example, the message might say, "I painted you outside at the beach because the beach always makes me happy. Hope it makes you happy too."
Gifts for Loved Ones
Another fun project for children is painting a gift for a special person in their life, such as a mom, dad, sibling or favorite teacher. The gift can be something they made themselves and painted or a craft item that has been purchased for this purpose. For example, you may want to buy wooden boxes or other plaques that children can paint and decorate as a Mother's Day or Father's Day gift or for another holiday.
