Art classes for kids

Beijing offers plenty of inspiration for budding Picassos. Whether it's painting, drawing, pottery or jewellery-making, Time Out finds out where kids can get creative in the capital

You don't have to be a student of the school to attend Dulwich College's after school and weekend programmes, which change each term. A typical programme includes Little River Playdough (ages three to five), painting and drawing (ages four to five), figure drawing (ages five to seven), handicrafts (ages ten to thirteen), arts and crafts (ages four to five) and Chinese painting (ages four to five).

In the Playdough class, children can use the colourful malleable clay to create whatever weird and wonderful objects their hearts desire. Figure drawing students learn drawing fundamentals starting with simple shapes like balls and cubes and work their way to the human form. The handicraft class teaches the finer points of cross-stitch, soap carving and paper folding while arts and crafts students draw, paint and work with papier mache and clay. For something with a more local flavour, 'Guo hua' artist Yang Yongxiu teaches Chinese brush painting in the Chinese painting class where kids paint birds, flowers and fish. All classes are taught in English except figure drawing and Chinese painting.

Equally diverse in content, the Kids' Gallery in Shunyi offers arts and crafts, sketching/painting and design technology. Students focus on one project for four weeks and all classes except the sketching/painting are taught in English. Previous sessions have seen children working on elaborate paint and bejewelled Faberge eggs complete with small toys inside and emulating works of Picasso and Gauguin. The design technology classes taught students to make papier mache dinosaurs.

Happy Land Arts and Crafts Centre provides a simple, white cheerful room with long, low tables and kiddie-size plastic stools on one side and a row of miniature pottery wheels on the other. This drop-in centre offers painting, tie-dye T-shirts, knitting, jewellery designing, bead making with polymer clay, and pottery making. The helpful staff, who speak Chinese and some English, provide aprons and all materials. Parents can join in too. During our one hour lesson, Time Out was able to make and paint a medium-size vase and make nifty red and blue beads out of polymer clay that we fashioned into a cell phone charm.

Adults are also invited along with their kids to get their hands dirty at Our Lounge restaurant and activity centre, which offers weekly arts and crafts time for all ages. Activities depend on community interest, but include the likes of t-shirt design, painting, art appreciation, modelling and, soon pottery. Staff speak English and Chinese.

If your little ones already speak Chinese or you would like their art classes to help integrate them locally, then consider enrolling them at the China National Children's Centre. This school offers painting and sketching courses in Chinese on weekday evenings and weekends for children aged four to nine. There are up to 20 students in each class.

C&M International Arts Education Centre offers a similar programme to the National Children's Centre, but with fewer students to a class and with the additional option of calligraphy. All teachers are graduate art students and professors from local art universities and students are invited to join in at any time throughout the year.

The Venues

China National Children's Centre 43 Pinganli Xi Dajie, Chaoyang district (tel 6616 0122/82).  New classes start throughout the year. Call for price/18-week course. 中国儿童中心平安西大街43号 

C&M International Arts Education Centre 53 Maizidian Zhengjie, Chaoyang district (tel 6504 1808, 8664 2980). Classes have a maximum of 10 students and are taught in Chinese. 50RMB-200RMB/one hour class; first lesson is free; once a week/six month sessions. 西慕国际艺术教育中心麦子店正街53号

Dulwich Community Programmes Legend Garden campus, 89 Capital Airport Road, Legend Garden Villas, Shunyi district (tel 6454 9000, ). Beijing Riviera campus, 1 Xiang Jiang Bei Lu, Jing Shun Lu, Chaoyang district (tel 8450 7676); Sanlitun campus, 7 Sanlitun Bei Xiaojie, Chaoyang district (tel 6532 4518). Class sizes are limited to 10 to 12 students and all materials are included. Students can enroll mid-semester if spaces are available. 560-640RMB/session; once a week/8-week sessions. 北京德威学校,顺义区机场路89号;顺义区京顺路香江北路1号;朝阳区三里屯北小街7号

Happy Land Arts and Crafts Centre Baixinzhuang, Cundong, Houshayu, Shunyi district (tel 8046 4053). 50RMB/ class; 800RMB/20 classes; open 9am-6pm daily.  乐土工艺访后沙峪白辛庄村东

Kids' Gallery Baixin Zhuangcun Nan, Houshayu (inside Capital Paradise), Shunyi district (tel 8046 1454). Students can enroll mid-semester if space is available. Sketching/painting 65RMB/class; arts and crafts and design technology 125RMB/class; once a week/8 week sessions. 顺义区白辛庄村南名都园会所2楼

Our Lounge Bldg 3, Xizhimen North Street, Haidian district (tel 6227 9800). Call for price; open 8am-2am daily. 海淀区西直门北大街45号时代之光小区3号楼1层

For those who want to be creative at home, here are some places for art supplies

Central Academy of Arts and Design 34 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang district (tel 6561 9594). 中央工艺美术学院商店东三环中路34号

Quanshunhang Commericial Trading Co. Ltd 8 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District (tel 6513 1997). 东城区五四大街8号

Wanqiming 14 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district (tel 6513 2759). 东城区五四大街14号

Gongyi Meishu Fuwubu Wangfujing Arts and Crafts Mansion 200 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng district (tel 6528 8866). 工艺美术服务部王府井大街200号

Lauren Mack