The first years of children's lives are the most important. In this phase, our little ones begin to form their character and learn to relate to their surroundings. What manages to attract their attention can be an important growth opportunity for them.

As a mother of three beautiful creatures, I always get very excited to see my children eager to learn, they grow so fast, and with them, I continue to grow every day.

Spontaneity is what sets them apart, we adults sometimes overthink. A thousand worries, a thousand commitments, especially in the difficult period we are facing now.

Children are not like that, they face the news with sweet naivety and light-heartedness, finding joy more easily in the little things of every day.

They are confident, courageous, always ready to experience new things with a smile on their face, and it is the smile of my children that helps me smile too.

Children learn very quickly and as they grow up, they collect more and more information, memories, dreams.

But how do they grow? How do they learn? Association and imitation, so children discover the world and its many facets. Their first points of reference are their parents, their heroes who can do anything.

How can we help our children learn? At the educational level, the best way to teach a child the characteristics of his surroundings is to use images.

Through images, children not only develop imagination and creativity but thanks to the association they learn to understand the characteristics of what they see around them

This is the reason why my illustrations of 5 particular exotic animals were born. A mother commissioned me this work for her baby, just to stimulate her imagination and help him grow. The peculiarity of these illustrations is that they contain several educational aspects in a single image.

The use of bright colours and numerous details captures the attention of the little ones who, intrigued by the images, not only learn to recognize these animals, but also discover the different adjectives that represent them, understanding their meaning.

After this first stimulus of association, imitation is what then allows kids to consolidate their new discoveries. It is precisely for this reason that in the early years, in kindergarten, the teachers have the children do many manual jobs, especially drawing.

To help children also in this next step at the base of their growth, I have also created a special gift idea.

A cotton canvas bag with two fabric markers to encourage your children to use their imagination decorating it, 12 black and white postcards to colour and two A4 size prints - "Gentile come una giraffa" & "Unico come una zebra" (meaning: "Gentle as a giraffe" & "Unique as a zebra").

I hope these creations of mine can help your children develop their creativity and learn while having fun!

Children see everything in colour, they don't judge, they don't criticize, and they forgive. We, adults, have a lot to learn from the little ones, but at the same time, it is our job to help them grow up!