It’s not all talk when it comes to arts for Kyla Pratt. The actress and mother has been putting her advocacy for creative arts into everyday actions. 

Arts and crafts are a way of life in the home of Kyla Pratt. Not only is the actress an artist herself when it comes to her television career, but the creativity gene also stems down to her two daughters, Lyric and Liyah, one of whom has a dedicated art room.

“All she does is paint,” Pratt gushes to RoyalTee about her oldest daughter, Lyric, and recalls a time when she brought her art supplies, referring to it as one of the “best gifts she can get.”

Together with their father, who is also a tattoo artist, musician and painter, the couple inspires their girls to explore the full individuality of themselves creativity. And for Pratt, sparking that individually all starts within the classroom. She opened up to RoyalTee about why arts should be considered more than just a fun hobby.

‘Allowing kids to be kids’

“I believe that arts should be the main focus when it comes to everything,” she says. “I believe that a lot of people look at the arts as an extracurricular activity… it’s difficult as a child to be inspired to draw and play. And then all of a sudden, at a certain age, they’re like, ‘We need you to do this math.’  There’s not anything wrong with math but allow imaginative play.”

Even during our off-camera Zoom call, it was not hard to get engulfed in the actress’s passion for this subject and how opening that part of a child’s brain can help in subjects like math, science, history, or even cooking.

Who remembers getting lost in the pages of coloring books growing up (speaking to my ’90s kids, not the tablet generation). Now as adults, it’s getting stuck in a paint and wine session.

Nonetheless, I believe the late, great Whitney Houston, who famously coined, “I believe the children are our future,’’ would probably agree with the mom of two when she says that in order to be that future, they need an outlet for creativity to grow.

“I’ve always felt very strongly about allowing kids to be kids and using their imagination,” Pratt tells RoyalTee. “And I think that if more kids around our country are able to use their imagination as long as possible, then they become better adults with more open minds.”

After all, without the encouragement to exercise her right brain, we may not have had a Penny Proud in Disney Channel’s forever iconic animated The Proud Family and reboot The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, as I reminded her of the imaginative grownups who are part of the show. There is no doubt they had to be creative children.

“Many people who are part of that project when it comes to writing, when it comes to animation, when it comes to designing the sets, designing the clothes all were in situations where they had to be reminded to use their imagination,” she says about the reboot, which currently airs on Disney+.

She added, as a matter of fact, “ I’m glad that you even mentioned the Proud Family because that’s exactly what I think about when I think about children being allowed and reminded to use it.”

 Partnering with Popsicle

It’s a message that the Proud Family star hopes to uplift other children in a suitably fit partnership with Popsicle and the National Arts Education Association. Or as she called the decision to collab, it was “a no-brainer.’’

The Popsicle Stick with Art! Contest invites art teachers from Title 1 schools to participate in an online art contest to share their student Popsicle stick creations.

Winners will have a chance to win money for art supplies and a grand prize of funding for their school’s art department.

“I love things like this,” Pratt says, “because it’s reminding children and reminding adults this is what life is all about, allowing a child to look inside and just imagine and not worry about anything that’s going on.”

She continued, “Teachers have to deal with so much, and the fact that Popsicle is supporting teachers in schools and reminding them to spark students’ imaginations and their creativity and helping provide more access to arts in education for years to come, that’s the type of thing that I have to be attached to.”

The Stick with Art! Contest

The Stick With Art! Contest runs from Nov. 14 to Dec. 18. Forty teachers will receive $1,000 to help support the cost of art supplies for their students. The amount will reportedly cover the estimated $750 educators spend out of pocket each year on classroom supplies. Four of those teachers will receive an additional $10,000 and one teacher will receive an additional $20,000.

“I hope that with this partnership, we can remind children as well as their parents how important it is to be creative.” Pratt shares her hopes for the project. “To never lose the superpower of having an imagination, to make sure we don’t lose arts, we don’t lose storytelling. It doesn’t have to be perfect, baby art is art. Just allow yourself to be free.’’

To participate, teachers can visit Popsicle.com for contest rules and submission instructions.