He had a burst of creativity at age 4, which has since been diluted in his push to learn to read and play the piano.
I don't force him to draw or paint. He has a lesson once a week with a local artist, but they do "fun" stuff like painting sea creatures on stools and making puppets out of Styrofoam. Occasionally he paints, but there's no pressure.
I encourage the art as a balance to his normally mathematical (read: anal) tendencies, and as a way to keep him focused on ENJOYMENT and EXPRESSION in learning.
My coffee table is always covered with plain packing paper--he has "canvas" available 24/7.
