7 Arts Before Age 7

The painting

Art often begins with a splash of color and the immense pride of saying, “I did that.” For a gentle introduction, we’re moving the creative workshop to the Intuitive Art Workshop. 

The idea here is to treat yourself to a sensory break away from the stress of watching the walls get painted at home. Imagine a cozy morning, the comforting scent of hot chocolate, and a blank canvas just waiting for your little one’s creativity. Between bites of grilled cheese, we guide the child toward pure expression, without expecting any specific result. It’s the tactile pleasure of textures blending together and the joy of creating side by side, simply for the beauty of the act itself. 

Music

For an 18-month-old, music isn’t just something to listen to—it’s a physical experience. It is this organic approach that G’zaagiin malenki – I Promise You a Forest, a production by the Laval-based company Voyageurs Immobiles. 

For 30 minutes—the perfect length to keep young children engaged—you’ll feel as though you’re right there on stage with the performers. In this intimate setting, barriers melt away. You’ll explore a soundscape woven from natural sounds and gentle rhythms that resonate as deeply in the heart as they do in the ears. A meditative interlude where nature comes indoors to soothe young and old alike. 

The performing arts

Does the theater intimidate you? Are you worried your child won't sit still? The The Petits Bonheurs Festival was created precisely to dispel those doubts. With shows like Déjà, au début…, children as young as 2 discover that you can tell great stories without saying a single word. 

Here, everything is conveyed through imagery, poetic projections, and a set design that almost makes you want to touch it. It’s a memorable first theatrical experience that stimulates the visual imagination and proves that the strongest emotions often need no words. 

The Movies

Going to the movies with little ones is a sacred ritual. The darkness falls, the spotlight shines, and the adventure begins. The Family Movies in Laval provide a safe environment for that first time on the big screen. 

Beyond the affordable price that lets you get started without any pressure, this is an opportunity for some “group cozying up.” Settled in comfortably, you’ll share specially adapted visual stories that, once you leave, will serve as the starting point for your first big conversations about courage, friendship, or adventure. 

Architecture

Architecture may seem abstract, but to a 4- or 5-year-old, it’s like a life-size building-block set. As you stroll through Laval’s neighborhoods, turn into a detective of shapes. 

Notice how buildings interact with light, how a colorful facade can transform the atmosphere of a street, or how different materials—wood, concrete, glass—tell a different story when you touch them. It is by looking up at the structures that shelter us that children come to understand that neighborhoods are works of art in their own right—monumental creations where functionality meets beauty. 

The sculpture

Unlike a museum, public sculpture in Laval is accessible to everyone without an appointment. It is an art form that invites physical engagement. By using the interactive map of public artworks, turn your next walk in the park into a treasure hunt. 

Look for the reflections of a metal structure, the curves of a carved stone, or the vibrant colors of a relief mural. Sculpture allows children to walk around the artwork, grasp its volume, and understand that art can inhabit real space—right there, between two trees or at the corner of a public square. 

Literature 

Books are often a child’s first travel companion. In the Laval’s libraries, literature becomes an interactive adventure. We don’t just read; we handle books as objects with varied textures, and we marvel at pop-up and explore picture books that are veritable portable art galleries. It is in these bright spaces that a love of words is born and, above all, an insatiable curiosity for the stories of others.