The Kitchen Table Method is open. $109 once, yours for life

For mums of 2 to 8 year olds

Calmer kids, proud of what they made, and the iPad goes off on its own. Five-minute setups from things you already have.

Valando Demetriou

By Valando Demetriou, a teacher of 15 years and a mum of three.

It isn't you, and it isn't your child. I teach you first, in my own voice, in short lessons you play while dinner cooks. Start tomorrow morning.

“I hateeee doing things at home because of the mess but this course has changed my life and my relationship with my kids!”
A mum who used it
Show me how, $109 $109 once, yours for life. Not a subscription.

Not sure? Hear a whole lesson free first. Or get a personalised approach for your child (8 quick questions).

No prep mountains. No Pinterest spirals. No art degree.

Watch the 3 minute video
A child's hand painting watercolour over a block of ice on white paper
Painting on iceTonight, freeze a bowl of water.
What parents say

Mums like you, in their own words.

10 real messages from mums who have used The Kitchen Table Method.

Swipe for more →

Paint and the word art scares me so this was so easy to listen to and follow thank you
Hey my love, I just wanted to say thank you so much for creating this! [My son] and I are absolutely LOVING our art time together and it makes me feel so proud that I can truly teach him while he is having a blast!
WOW just WOW!! I listened to the entire thing in one night and got up the next morning and got into it with my girls. We had the most amazing morning and the tantrums have gone.
Her face she bloody had the best time. And you know what it was so nice to actually sit with her for 20 min and have fun with her while not being on my phone. Every Friday I chuck her on the iPad so I can work and it made my soul sing just being out there with her for 20-30 min 💜

Going to make it a religious tradition every Friday then I feel less guilty doing work around her as I have spent that quality time with her having fun xxx

Your amazing and creating great things

Bianca

Valando thank you so much for this! We made our art box yesterday and honestly it was so much fun and less stressful than I thought! I was really nervous about this because I'm constantly on Pinterest all the time and then when I try to do these things with my girls it just turns into mess and chaos. The amazing thing about this course is that taught me how to teach first which actually made all the difference in the world, thank you so much. I'm so excited to keep learning.
I've always wanted to do these types of things with my boys at home and my two older ones are now in School so I am savouring every moment with my 2 1/2-year-old. Thank you for teaching me how to talk and thank you for guiding me through this process.
My daughter is 4 and still holds the paint brush with one hand and squishes it down. How to introduce the materials was a game changer for me.

A very happy mum from Germany

Hello from France I have been following you for such a long time and I'm so glad I bought this. It has been so fun in my house with my three and seven year-old.

A mum in France who bought it

WOW!! Thank you so so much I am only up to lesson 3 and I am LOVING it so far!!!
It's 11pm

It's 11pm. They're finally asleep, and you're still worrying about tomorrow morning.

The problem, plainly: nobody ever showed you what to say or do at the table, so the morning ends in mess, a meltdown or the iPad.

Nothing is wrong with your child.
You are not doing it wrong.
Nobody hands parents this part.

You don't have to work it out at 11pm. Press play on lesson one tonight, and tomorrow morning you'll know exactly what to do.

What this is

Art at your kitchen table, with a teacher in your ear.

Here is what you get: short audio lessons to play while dinner cooks, a printable card for every session, and the exact words to say when it gets hard. It is me teaching you how to do art and activities at home with your child, in my voice. No Pinterest overwhelm. No prep mountain.

It looks like art. It is built like a lesson.

Every session is chosen to grow something in your child: focus that lasts a little longer, calm, keeping going when it is hard, hands that are ready for a pencil, and the words to talk about what they made. And you get real time together, phones down.

Made for you if you are a mum, dad or nanna of a 2 to 8 year old, you want to do more with them at home, and you don't know where to start.

$109, once, yours for life. At my studio, the sessions in here would cost $676. Hear a whole lesson free first.

or Klarna and Zip where available
Start tomorrow morning

It is easy to follow. You can start tomorrow morning.

Tonight

Press play on lesson one while dinner cooks. It is under three minutes, and most lessons end with one small thing to try.

Tomorrow morning

Set out one thing. Say one sentence. Count to twenty in your head, then watch what they do. That is your first session.

A couple of weeks in

They start asking for it. Some mornings you hear "not yet" where "I can't" used to be.

A few weeks on

Some mornings they start on their own, and your coffee is still hot.

You do not need to be a teacher or an artist. You need a few words and a table. Your Art Mum Era starts here.

Press play tonight. Try it tomorrow morning. It really is that easy.

or Klarna and Zip where available
What your child gets

Once you start, here is what you will begin to see.

These are the words children respond to in my studio every day. Now they are yours, for your own table.

For you

  • Starting takes thirty seconds, not a project
  • The exact words for "I can't", "is it good?" and the meltdown
  • A mess that is planned for, not fought
  • You can see what school asks of them growing, instead of wondering
  • Some mornings they start on their own, and your coffee is still hot
A child's hand painting pink and purple watercolour wet on wet

Calmer

“No, I don't want to!”

“Can we do art today?”

What you'll see, and why it matters

You'll seeSessions start calm, because the set-up, the first two minutes and the words are planned. The warm sky wash is made for the child who worries about getting it wrong.

Why it mattersWhether a session goes well is mostly decided before they touch anything. With nothing to copy and the words ready, there is far less to melt down about.

A child's hand making big bold strokes of red and blue paint over green

Handles big feelings

“It's ruined!”

“That's tricky. I'll try again.”

What you'll see, and why it matters

You'll seeYou name the feeling, add "yet" and offer one tiny step. Art becomes a way to show feelings too: what does an angry line look like?

Why it mattersHarvard's Center on the Developing Child says no child is born with the skills behind self-control, but every child is born able to build them.

Hands dotting a page with pink, purple and teal paint

More focused

“I'm done.”

“I'm not finished.”

What you'll see, and why it matters

You'll seeFocus grows a few minutes at a time. Calm, repetitive sessions like dotting ask them to slow down and aim.

Why it mattersA child who can stay with a painting for ten minutes is practising what sitting with a story will need.

A child's hand painting red shapes over and over on white paper

Believes they can get better

“I can't.”

“My brain is growing.”

What you'll see, and why it matters

You'll seeYou learn to name what is happening when it is hard: "Your brain is growing right now, because this is hard. Easy things do not grow it." The course gives you that line for older children who are hard on themselves, and "not yet" for every age.

Why it mattersStanford psychologist Carol Dweck's research found children (fifth graders, in that study) praised for effort were more likely to choose harder challenges and keep going after a setback than children praised for being smart.

Three more things it builds
A child and an adult painting on the same sheet from opposite sides

Time together

“Watch me!”

“You noticed.”

What you'll see, and why it matters

You'll seeTwenty minutes side by side, phone down. You describe what they did and ask about their choices, instead of just saying "good job".

Why it mattersHarvard's Center on the Developing Child says back-and-forth moments with a caring adult strengthen the brain connections behind communication and emotional wellbeing.

A child's hands cutting carefully along a line on pink paper

A head start for school

“Writing is hard.”

“I made a book.”

What you'll see, and why it matters

You'll seeFrom a fist grip to a neat pinch. Books they write, patterns, shapes, counting and measuring.

Why it mattersA study led by David Grissmer found fine motor skill at school entry predicted later reading and maths.

Hands making scribble creatures at a bright table

Creative

“I'm bored.”

“I've got an idea.”

What you'll see, and why it matters

You'll seeIdeas of their own, and work that is theirs, with no example to copy and no wrong answer.

Why it mattersImagination is a muscle, and it only grows when a child has to use it. And it keeps them from deciding, around five or six, that they are "not the artistic one".

These are not art skills.

They are the habits of a child who tries things, keeps going and believes they can get better.

They start at your kitchen table, and they are the kind of habits that carry into school and beyond.

The science, in plain words

Four things worth knowing about these years.

1 million+

new brain connections form every second in your child's first few years.

At your tableCalm, back-and-forth time with you helps build them.

1 hour

is the most screen time Australian Government guidelines suggest for ages 2 to 5. Less is better.

At your tableA twenty minute session is twenty minutes the iPad is off.

Hands first

Fine motor skill at school entry predicted later reading and maths in a large study.

At your tableDotting, tearing and snipping build the grip a pencil needs.

Praise effort

Children praised for trying hard chose harder tasks and kept going more after a setback than children praised for being smart (fifth graders in the study).

At your tableSay what you see: "You used so much blue."

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Sources: Harvard University Center on the Developing Child (brain architecture; serve and return). Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, guidelines for children from birth to 5 years. Grissmer et al., 2010, Developmental Psychology. Mueller & Dweck, 1998, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

If that's the child you want to see, you can start tonight.

or Klarna and Zip where available
Is it for you?

If this sounds like you, it was made for you.

For the mum of a 2 to 8 year old (or a few of them) who wants to do more at home and doesn't know where to start.
For the mum who finds Pinterest overwhelming, and the mess never felt worth it.
For the mum whose child holds the pencil in a fist, or melts down when it doesn't look right.
For the mum whose child won't listen, won't focus, and heads straight for the iPad.
More of you
For the mum, dad or nanna whose saved folder is full of ideas they have never once done.
For the mum who has decided she is "not creative", with school getting closer.
For the mum who wants something better than the iPad for the long mornings.

It works for brothers, sisters and cousins at the same table: every card has a version for 2 to 3, 4 to 5 and 6 to 8, so they all do the same thing at their own level.

Not for you if you teach a group or run a program (you want the Method, my full course for educators), or you want printables to hand over and walk away. This is about sitting down with them.

How it works

You learn first. Then you do the activities.

Most programs hand you a list of activities and hope. This one changes how you run the table first, so every activity works. It comes down to three things:

1Take the example off the table, so it is their art.No finished sample for them to copy. Just the materials.
2Describe what they did instead of judging it."You used so much blue" instead of "good job".
3When they say "I can't", add the word "yet"."I can't" becomes "I can't yet".
How you learn it, in three steps
1

Listen to Part 1

The welcome and six short lessons, about 18 minutes in all.

2

Try one small thing

Most lessons end with one small thing to try.

3

Run a session

Print the card, sit beside them, no example on the table.

What actually changes

This is not a list of activities. It changes how you run the table.

Art at home fails for the same six reasons in almost every house. Here is what you will see when each one is fixed, and how.

See the six fixes, one tap each
1

Starting stops being a project

What you'll see: The box actually comes out, because getting started takes thirty seconds instead of a project.

The thought, and how you do it

"Getting the box out is a project, and so is putting it all away."

You set up one corner that is allowed to get messy and one box they can reach on their own. Everything in the box is a yes, so you stop saying no twenty times. Paint lives up high and comes down when you are sitting beside them. You protect the table once, properly, and you plan for the mess instead of fighting it.

In the course: Part 1, lesson 2: Set up a corner that says yes

2

No example, no meltdown

What you'll see: A child who gets on with it, instead of checking whether theirs matches.

The thought, and how you do it

"They copy the example, theirs looks different, and it all falls apart."

You take the example off the table. With nothing to copy, there is nothing for theirs to get wrong. You set the materials out so they look interesting, say one thing, and then you wait. The pause feels long. That is the technique, and the lesson shows you how to hold it, and how to introduce a material so they actually explore it.

In the course: Part 1, lesson 3: The first two minutes

3

"I can't" becomes "not yet"

What you'll see: A child who is more willing to give it a go, because a hard bit is no longer a reason to stop.

The thought, and how you do it

"I can't do it." "You do it." They won't even give it a go.

You learn the five-second reply that turns a wall into a step, and why "yes you can" makes them dig their heels in. You stop rescuing at the first sign of struggle, and instead of "good job" you describe what they did, which is what keeps them going the day it does not look right. If they hold back, you start small: you begin, say nothing, and let them join you, with a material where a wrong mark cannot show.

In the course: Part 1, lessons 4 to 6: Growth mindset, When they say I can't, When it goes wrong

4

Three minutes counts

What you'll see: Focus that grows a few minutes at a time, and a short attention span you stop writing off as failure.

The thought, and how you do it

"They are done in three minutes, so it is never worth getting the box out."

Little children work in short bursts, and the course shows you what to do with that: a small invitation that brings them back, when to simply pack it away and try tomorrow, and why fifteen or twenty minutes, two or three times a week, beats a whole afternoon once a month.

In the course: Part 1, lesson 6 and Part 5: Keep it going

5

You stop being the entertainment director

What you'll see: The iPad stops being the only answer to "I'm bored", and you stop inventing a new activity every day.

The thought, and how you do it

"I'm bored." And the iPad is the easy answer, again.

Bored is the feeling just before an idea, and you learn what to do with it: name it, give one nudge, walk away. A help-yourself shelf, an invitation you set out without a word, and ten ways to start from a single squiggle move the ideas over to them. That is how you cook three steps away while they make.

In the course: Part 4: Creating without you

6

School gets what it asks for, with no worksheets

What you'll see: Hands, focus and keep-going growing week by week, and you can see it happening instead of wondering.

The thought, and how you do it

"School is coming up. Are we doing enough?"

Every session quietly builds what school asks of them: the grip to hold a pencil, focus, keeping going when it is hard, following a few steps in order, and talking about what they made. You learn what to look for, so you can see it growing. You notice it. You do not test it.

In the course: Part 5: Art that helps at school, and The stages of drawing

Valando Demetriou, teacher and creator of The Kitchen Table Method
Who I am

Hi, I'm Valando. I'm a mum of three girls first.

So I know what a long morning at home really looks like: someone hungry, someone tired, and a baby who wants whatever the big kids have.

I have taught for fifteen years, eight of them teaching children in their first years of school, and four years ago I co-founded an art studio for 3 to 6 year olds in Torrensville, Adelaide. Parents kept asking what we do differently so they could do it at home. The Kitchen Table Method is my answer, in my voice, written for your table and your children.

My story, from Cyprus to the studio

When I was eight, my family moved from Cyprus to Australia. I started school three days later without a single word of English, and I cried every day because I missed my mum. I had the most incredible teachers. They taught me English and believed in me every step of the way, and they are the reason I became a teacher.

Valando DemetriouTeacher of 15 years · mum of three

More proof: a mum of twins

A mum of twins said it first

Cathy bought my course for educators, the Method, to use with her twin boys. This is what she sent us, and it is why The Kitchen Table Method exists.

Wow, this is not at all what I was expecting.
I'm a mum and bought this to do with my twin boys, and honestly it has blown me away.
It has taught me how to teach them more at home and do things on my kitchen table.
Thank you so much.

Cathy, mum of twin boys, about the Method

You get 15 years of teaching, as words you can use at your own table.

or Klarna and Zip where available
What lands in your hands

Open it tonight. This is everything you get.

29

short lessons in my voice

Play one while dinner cooks.

yours for life
8

kitchen table sessions

A card for each, for ages 2 to 3, 4 to 5 and 6 to 8.

$416 at the studio
5

building sessions

For the child who would rather build than paint.

$260 at the studio
5

lessons so they make on their own

You cook. They get started.

included

The exact words, written down for you

“You used so much blue.”

“I can't do it.”

“Not yet. Let's try one tiny bit.”

“What does the ice feel like?”

For the start, the stuck moment and the meltdown. Not on Pinterest.

And six free bonuses
10 challenge cards10 idea startersStages of drawing chartMindset cheat sheetBox checklistEvery new session, free for life
See every lesson
Start here

Welcome1 lesson

  1. Welcome to the Kitchen Table MethodWell done for being here. Listen to Part 1 first: it is short, and every session after it works better because of it.
Part 1

The way we do it6 lessons

The part that changes everything. Why art at home matters, a corner that says yes, the first two minutes, what to say about what they make, "I can't", and what to do when it goes wrong.

  1. Why art at home matters more than you thinkAsk: which bit was the trickiest? Then listen. You are noticing the doing, not the result.
  2. Set up a corner that says yesOne messy spot, one reachable box, and everything in it is a yes. Paint lives up high.
  3. The first two minutes: start without an exampleNo example on the table. Say: I wonder what you will do with this. Then count to twenty.
  4. Growth mindset, and what to say about what they makeMistakes are how we learn, so let them see yours. Describe their art, do not judge it.
  5. When they say I can'tName the feeling, add the word yet, and make the next step tiny. Then wait.
  6. When it goes wrongTake one breath and ask: is this a problem, or is this just what little children are like?
Part 2

Eight kitchen table sessions8 lessons

Eight sessions to run at home. Each has what you need, how to set up, the words to say, and a version for 2 to 3, 4 to 5 and 6 to 8.

  1. The very first markAsk for a kind of line, never a thing. Fast, slow, round and round, jumping.
  2. Painting on iceFreeze a bowl of water and paint on the ice. You cannot boss it around, and that is the lesson.
  3. A warm sky washWet the page first, tickle don't scrub, and let the colour bloom on its own.
  4. The foil treeOne twist turns a strip of foil into a branch. Let them build the rest.
  5. Dots on dotsDip and press is the whole technique. Dots are serious art, and they build the pencil grip.
  6. Snip, stick, buildFinger-wide strips mean one snip, one piece, instant success. Thumbs up, open, close.
  7. Kitchen printingAsk them to guess the shape first. Predict, print, check. Then make a pattern.
  8. Make a book togetherThey draw, you write their exact words, then read it back like a real book.
Part 3

The engineering hub at home5 lessons

Building, testing and problem solving with whatever is in your recycling. For the child who would rather build than paint.

  1. The engineering hub at homePut out materials and a challenge, then step back. When it falls, ask: what could you try differently?
  2. Build it tallWhen the tower falls, the session is only halfway through. Ask: why did it fall, and what will you try?
  3. Bridge itFold one sheet of paper into a zigzag and it holds the car. Shape is strength.
  4. Ramps and rollersChange one thing, then watch what happens. That is a real experiment.
  5. Junk modellingNothing goes in the bin until it has been something else first. The tricky join is where the learning is.
Part 4

Creating without you5 lessons

How to get them starting, imagining and making on their own while you cook three steps away. A help-yourself shelf, starters for when they are stuck, and the reply to "I'm bored".

  1. A child who starts without youYou are not leaving them to it, you are handing over the ideas. Ladder: beside you, near you, on their own steam.
  2. The invitation: set it out, say nothingThree materials, arranged with care, and not one word. Someone thought about you, and I wonder what you will do.
  3. The squiggle, and nine other startersOne squiggle has a thousand right answers, and every one has to come from them.
  4. While dinner cooksSet the table in thirty seconds, cook three steps away, and narrate from the stove. Ten minutes is a triumph.
  5. When they say I'm boredBored is the feeling just before an idea. Name it, give one nudge, and walk away.
Part 5

Beyond the table4 lessons

What school actually asks of them, the stages of drawing, and how to keep it going when life is busy.

  1. Art that helps at schoolHands, focus, persistence, following steps, and talking about their work. Notice, don't test.
  2. The stages of drawingEvery child moves through the same stages in the same order, at their own speed. Find the stage, describe what you see, and never ask what is it.
  3. Keep it goingLittle and often, same time and place, rotate materials, and display their work at their height.
  4. Where to go from hereTake the example away, describe instead of judging, and add the word yet. Then do it again.
Inside every session

The words to say are written down for you.

That is the part most parents are missing. Not the activity, the words. What to say when they start, when they get stuck, and when they hold it up and ask "do you like it?". Every session card has them, and a version for each age, so siblings can sit at the same table.

Hear one whole lesson free, and see a real card. Run it tonight and see how it feels before you spend a cent.

Listen free

Painting on ice, the whole lesson, a little over two minutes, in my voice.

Pop your email in and I will play it right here, and send you a copy so you can listen again tonight.

See a real session card
Session card

Painting on ice

You need

  • A bowl, plastic container, muffin tray or a balloon, for freezing
  • Watercolours or washable paint watered right down
  • A brush or a dropper
  • A tray with a lip, and a towel
  • A pinch of salt, for older children

Set it up

  • The night before: fill your container with water and freeze it
  • In the morning, tip the ice onto a tray so the melt has somewhere to go
  • Pass the ice around before any colour goes on

The words to say

  • What does the ice feel like?
  • What do you think will happen when the colour touches it?
  • The ice is helping you paint. Look where the blue is travelling.

What it builds

Following what a material wants to do instead of fighting it. Observation, prediction, and flexibility, a core growth mindset skill.

Ages 2 to 3

One whole bowl of ice, far too big for a mouth, and no salt.

Ages 4 to 5

Muffin-tray ice in different shapes, so each one is a different canvas.

Ages 6 to 8

A pinch of salt first, so the colour races into the tunnels it melts.

Your child's approach

Get a personalised approach for your child.

Eight quick questions. Tap your answers and I'll send you the approach I'd use with your child, and exactly where to start.

Question 1 of 8

How old is your child?

Right now you have two options

Same table, two different years.

Tonight, 9pm

Close this page

Nothing changes. The iPad stays the easy answer, and you save another idea you will never do.

A child's hand painting pink and purple watercolour

Tomorrow morning

One corner, one box, one sentence

A few weeks on, “not yet” starts turning up where “I can't” used to be. $109, once.

The Kitchen Table Method

Yours tonight, for $109.

No extra screen time: the lessons are for you, and your child just makes.

Everything you are saying yes to: six wins for them, six for you

For your child

  • More focused, a few minutes longer each week
  • Calmer art time, from the first two minutes
  • Better at big feelings: "not yet" instead of "I can't"
  • Creative, with ideas of their own
  • Hands, reading, writing and maths ready for school
  • Real time together, phones down

For you

  • Starting takes thirty seconds, not a project
  • The exact words for "I can't", "is it good?" and the meltdown
  • A mess that is planned for, not fought
  • The iPad stops being the only answer to "I'm bored"
  • Ideas that come from them, not all from you
  • You can see what school needs growing, instead of wondering

An investment in their future, not another toy.

A year of toys: most end up in the bin. This gets used again and again, with every child in the house.

At studio prices: the sessions in here would cost $676.

What it builds: focus, calm, big feelings, creativity and time together, the habits that carry into school and beyond.

The Kitchen Table Method
$109AUD, once, for the whole family
$676 of sessions at today's studio prices$676$109
Why the $109 is never dead money
  • Listen to a whole lesson free on this page before you pay a cent
  • It is yours for life, including every session we add later
  • Move up to the Method, my course for educators, within 30 days and every dollar you paid here comes off its price

Secure checkout with Stripe. Card, or Klarna and Zip where available. Prices in Australian dollars.

What happens in the next five minutes
  1. Pop in your email and pay. It takes about a minute.
  2. Your course opens straight away, and the link lands in your inbox.
  3. Play lesson one. It's under three minutes.
  4. Tonight, freeze a bowl of water. Tomorrow is your first session.
Questions

Before you buy.

What if it's not right for us?

Try it first. You can hear a whole lesson free on this page before you pay a cent, and the free Kitchen Table Ten guide is here. It is digital, so once you have it you have all of it and sales are final. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law are not affected.

I've tried activities at home and it's never worth the mess. How is this different?

Because the problem is not the activity, it is everything around it. Getting the box out feels like a project, putting it away feels like a bigger one, and they are done in three minutes. The first part of the course fixes exactly that: one corner that is allowed to get messy, a box they can reach, paint kept up high, the table protected once, and the mess planned for instead of fought. Setting out an invitation takes about thirty seconds, and three minutes of focus counts.

I'm not arty at all. Is this for me?

Especially for you. The activities are the easy part: paper, paint, ice, cardboard. What makes the difference is how you set them up and what you say, and that's all written down for you, word for word. The point isn't a beautiful picture. It's a child who tries, keeps going and talks to you about what they made.

My child melts down when things go wrong. Will this actually help?

That child is exactly who this was written for. A meltdown over a fallen tower or a "ruined" drawing is a child who believes it should be perfect first go. The course gives you the exact words for that moment, built on the psychologist Carol Dweck's growth mindset research, and the sessions give them safe, small practice at things going wrong and trying again. It will not end every tantrum this week. It gives both of you somewhere better to put the day, and the skills grow from there.

I work full time. When would I do this?

Each lesson is a few minutes of listening, so it fits in the car or while dinner cooks. The sessions work best little and often: fifteen or twenty minutes, two or three times a week, like the half hour before dinner or a Saturday morning.

Why do I have to learn first? Can't I just do the activities?

You can start any session, but the first part of the course is the reason the sessions work. It is the welcome and six short lessons, about 18 minutes in all, and each one ends with one small thing to try. It comes down to three things: take the example off the table, describe what they did instead of judging it, and add the word "yet" when they say "I can't". Do those, and you are doing what we do in our studio.

More questions (17)

I've tried craft at home and it's never worth the mess. How is this different?

Because the problem is not the activity, it is everything around it. Getting the box out feels like a project, putting it away feels like a bigger one, and they are done in three minutes. The first part of the course fixes exactly that: one corner that is allowed to get messy, a box they can reach, paint kept up high, the table protected once, and the mess planned for instead of fought. Setting out an invitation takes about thirty seconds, and three minutes of focus counts.

My child won't give things a go, or doesn't like getting messy.

Lots of children are cautious, and the course does not start with a bowl of paint. The first session is a fat crayon and one colour, and later ones use one snip at a time or a single dot with a cotton bud. You learn how to use materials where a wrong mark cannot show, and with little ones, how to start first, say nothing and let them join in when they are ready. If their reaction to mess feels strong, or worries you, talk to their teacher or your doctor. This is art at the kitchen table, not therapy.

School starts soon and I'm panicking. Are we too late?

No. Part 5 shows you what school actually asks of them: hands ready for a pencil, focus, keeping going when it is hard, following a few steps, and talking about their work. Every session builds those, with no worksheets, and you learn what to look for so you can see it growing. It is not a checklist to pass. Every child gets there in their own time, and if something genuinely worries you, talk to their teacher or your doctor.

I'm sick of the same activities. Won't I just run out of ideas?

That is what Part 4 is for. Instead of you inventing something every day, you learn how to hand the ideas over to them: a help-yourself shelf, an invitation you set out without a word, ten ways to start from a single squiggle, and a three-step reply to "I'm bored". The sessions and every new session we add keep the materials changing too.

I already have hundreds of ideas saved. Why pay?

Because ideas are not what is missing. This gives you the part the internet leaves out: how to set it up so it is easy to start, how to begin without an example, and the exact words to say when they get stuck or ask “is it good?”. One session at our studio is $52; the sessions in here would cost $676 there, plus every word we teach with, in one payment, yours for good.

My child won't sit still for more than two minutes.

That is normal, and there is a lesson on exactly this. Little children work in short bursts, so you learn a small invitation that brings them back instead of “keep going”, and when to simply pack it away and try another day. Focus grows a few minutes at a time across the weeks.

I hate the mess.

Most of us do. The second lesson sets up one corner that is allowed to get messy and a box your child can reach, with paint kept up high, so getting it out and packing it away stop being a project. Another lesson covers what to do when paint ends up on the floor anyway.

My child is 7. Have we missed it?

No. Every session card has a version for 6 to 8 year olds that asks more of them, and there are ten challenge cards written for that age. For children already at school, art at home is the one place with no right answer and no mark out of ten.

Is this more screen time?

No. The recordings are for you, not your child. You listen on your own, then you sit down together with paper and paint. Your child never needs to look at a screen.

I'm not in Australia. Does it still work?

Yes. Everything you need is in an ordinary kitchen anywhere, and the course works on any phone, tablet or computer. Prices are in Australian dollars, so it costs less than the number you see.

What do I need to buy?

Almost nothing. Paper, a few washable colours, foil, a bowl of ice, cardboard and things from your recycling. Lesson 2 has a checklist of exactly what goes in the box.

My children are different ages. Does that work?

Yes. Every session card has a version for 2 to 3, 4 to 5 and 6 to 8, so they can sit at the same table doing the same thing at their own level.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay $109 once and keep it for life, including every new session we add.

How do I get it?

Straight after payment you land on your course, and the link is emailed to you. It works on your phone, tablet or computer, and every recording can be saved for offline.

Can I move up to the full Method later?

Yes. The Method is my full course for educators. If you buy it within 30 days of this one, using the same email, what you paid here comes off its price.

Can I use it with a class or group?

It is licensed for your own family. If you teach, the Method is the course for you. The full terms are on the licence page.

Can I get a refund?

It is digital, so the moment you have it you have all of it, and sales are final. If you want to try our way first, the free Kitchen Table Ten guide is here. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law are not affected.

Same table. Different morning.

Half an hour together, the right words, and art they are proud of. 29 short lessons and eight sessions. $109, once, for the whole family.

Okay, I'm in, $109
The Kitchen Table Method · $109 once Show me how