Art is fun – it’s just one of those inarguable facts of life. And no one knows that better than a preschooler up to their sleeves in finger-paint. But while arts like painting, drawing, sculpting, and building offer fun ways for children to play and hone their creativity, did you know that art classes also provide many other benefits to our kids?

Here’s just a few reasons art is so important for kids:

• Cognitive Development – Kids build skills and abilities like learning cause and effect, patterning, planning, and other types of critical thinking.
• Fine Motor Skills – Another benefit of art is that it helps children develop fine motor skills through holding and manipulating art supplies like paintbrushes, markers, pencils, crayons, and chalk. Developing these fine motor muscles will help children later on with things like writing, using tools, typing, and more.
• Math Skills – Creative arts also introduce children to mathematical concepts and strategies that can form the basis for their understanding of math later on. In art, children often interact with different shapes, sizes, numbers, and spaces, which can help them start making comparisons, learn to count, and use reasoning skills.
• Language Skills – When creating art, kids learn how to describe what they’ve made, the intention behind it, and why they chose to make it that way. This helps them learn how to talk as well as develop their vocabulary.
• Learning About Themselves and Connecting With Others – Art allows kids to explore their feelings, how they view the world, how they view others, and how they view themselves. This helps with children’s emotional development as they understand themselves better and can lead to their connecting with other kids.

Now that you know all about the benefits of art for our kids, let’s go find your aspiring young artist a place to put all that creativity to use! Below you’ll find out top art studios and centers in Bucks County with courses geared towards children.

Did we forget one of your Bucks County favorite places? Let us know in the comments below!

7th Street Studios at the Perkasie Art Center 

21B N. 7th St., Perkasie; (267) 315-1705  

Located within the Perkasie Art Center, 7th Street Studios offers weekly classes, both on weekdays and weekends, for children ages 7-12. With classes ranging from “Draw, Paint & Sculpt” to “Cartooning & Illustration,” 7th Street Studios has options for every artistic interest. 

The Seufert Art Studio 

302 S. Olds Blvd., Fairless Hills; (215) 547-6547

The Seufert Art Studio is family owned and operated with three professional in-house artists teaching classes. The beginners’ class, “Creative Drawing,” is designed for younger students ages 7-12 and is offered both in-person and virtually. Students ages 12 and up, who have previously taken the beginners class, can choose from more advanced classes like Color Theory and Foundation Drawing. Do you have a teen artist at home? Seufert has an impressive offering of workshop classes for students ages 13 and up that shouldn’t be missed. 

Art in the Pod

216 Bustleton Pike, Churchville; (215) 355-9278

Art in the Pod believes in sparking the love of art in children early, which is why they have a “parent/childcare giver and me” class on their roster for young artists ages 2-5. This class is offered during the week and on weekends to accommodate working parents. The schedule also consists of after-school art classes for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, weekly kindergarten enrichment, Saturday morning classes and a number of unique offerings for teen students. Art in the Pod also has a new class to its sessions for teens and young adults with special needs.

Amanda Layre’s Fine Art Studio

33 Union St., Doylestown; (215) 262-3279

Artist Amanda Layre offers daily (Monday through Saturday) art classes for kids at her studio in downtown Doylestown. Her “Pencil & Pastel” class teaches students how to draw in what is described as a nurturing environment with individual guidance and positive feedback. 

Penelope Fox Art Studio 

Canal Works Building 10 Canal St., Studio 101, Bristol; (267) 307-0096

Penelope Fox Art Studio’s tagline is “Making Art Fun for Everyone,” and that’s exactly what they aim to do in their children’s art classes. One of the studio’s most popular classes is “Character Drawing” where students are taught the fundamentals of drawing, and eventually leads to the creation of their own character from their imagination. 

AOY Art Center

949 Mirror Lake Road, Yardley; (215) 493-1205

AOY Art Center strives to cultivate the fact that there’s an “artist in all of us” through its children’s art classes. Some winter sessions are already at capacity, but spaces are left in courses including “Adventures in Abstraction” recommended for ages 6-16 and the unique course “The Wondrous Art of Printmaking” for artists ages 8-16.

Art Dept. Studios

28 Richboro Road, Newtown, (215) 968-7588; 15 W. Oakland Ave., Doylestown, (215) 348-9003

With locations in Newtown and Doylestown, Art Dept. Studios offers a daily (Monday through Friday) After School Kids Club from 4-5pm. Students (ages 6 and up) will learn a variety of art mediums from clay sculpting to mosaics. Class sizes are limited to 10 students and pre-registration is required. 

Bucks County Classical Arts Center

Classes held at St. Martin of Tours Church School, Room 205, 1 Riverstone Circle, New Hope; (267) 221-6046

During this weekly, hour-long class, children ages 7-10 will learn how to draw a variety of images and subjects. Whether they are new to drawing or looking to improve their skill, student artists will leave the six-week session more confident and self-assured in their abilities. 

Blue Sky Art Studio

2315 Bristol Pike, Bensalem; (215) 605-4039

Instead of paying for a full session, parents can take advantage of Blue Sky’s drop-in format. To begin, students register and pay a fee for supplies that will be needed for various projects and then can “pay-as-they-go” for each class. Separate classes are available for elementary (ages 5-10) and middle school/high school (ages 11-18) kids. 

Fabby Do

64 South Main Street, Doylestown, (215) 939-0233

Fabby do Creative Boutique is the quintessential shop for kiddos, giving them endless options to express their creativity. From the moment your child walks in, it’s like a wonderland of sweet ideas and activities! Inspired by a 1950’s penny candy store, Fabby-Do offers over 100 arts and crafts, dress-up and beauty fun play, art classes, parties, toys, candy and novelty gifts, all with a vintage vibe for ages 2 to teen. Each month, families can enjoy movie nights, character appearance events, parent date nights, and more!

The Michener Art Museum

138 S. Pine Street, Doylestown; (215) 340-9800

The Michener Art Museum offers the only art classes in Bucks County where kids, teens, and adults experience museum exhibitions as an integral part of their arts education. Conversations, observations, and discoveries in the galleries inspire students to create original drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, collages, sculptures, and more. Children classes start as young as preschool and go up to seniors in high school.

YMCA of Bucks County

Various Locations Throughout Bucks; (215) 999-9622

The YMCA offers visual arts programs (in addition to dancing and cookies classes) throughout the year at many of the Bucks County branches starting as young as preschool. Check their website for more information here.

Tyler Park Center for the Arts

10 Stable Mill Road Richboro; (267) 218-0290

Located on the grounds of Tyler State Park, Tyler Park Center for the Arts provides a myriad of classes and workshops for both kids and adults alike, as well as special family and community workshops. Their mission is to enrich the community through fine arts, crafts and music; to encourage art education and excellence; to nurture artists in a community of connection; and grow cross-cultural, social, and racial understanding through the experience of the arts. In the summer, they offer intensive summer camp programs for kids and teens!

Feature photo courtesy of AOY Art Center