The
Importance of Art in Child Development
By Grace Hwang Lynch
source :
In recent years, school
curricula in the United States have shifted heavily toward common core subjects
of reading and math, but what about the arts? Although some may regard art
education as a luxury, simple creative activities are some of the building
blocks of child development. Learning to create and appreciate visual
aesthetics may be more important than ever to the development of the next
generation of children as they grow up.
Developmental Benefits
of Art
Motor
Skills : Many of the motions involved in making art, such
as holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon, are essential to the
growth of fine motor skills in young children. According to the National
Institutes of Health, developmental milestones around age three should include
drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Around age four,
children may be able to draw a square and begin cutting straight lines with
scissors. Many preschool programs emphasize the use of scissors because it
develops the dexterity children will need for writing.
Language
Development : For very young children, making art—or
just talking about it—provides opportunities to learn words for colors, shapes
and actions. When toddlers are as young as a year old, parents can do simple
activities such as crumpling up paper and calling it a “ball.” By elementary
school, students can use descriptive words to discuss their own creations or to
talk about what feelings are elicited when they see different styles of
artwork.
Decision
Making : According to a report by Americans for the Arts,
art education strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. The
experience of making decisions and choices in the course of creating art
carries over into other parts of life. “If they are exploring and thinking and
experimenting and trying new ideas, then creativity has a chance to blossom,”
says MaryAnn Kohl, an arts educator and author of numerous books about
children’s art education.
Visual
Learning : Drawing, sculpting with clay and threading beads
on a string all develop visual-spatial skills, which are more important than
ever. Even toddlers know how to operate a smart phone or tablet, which means
that even before they can read, kids are taking in visual information. This
information consists of cues that we get from pictures or three-dimensional
objects from digital media, books and television.
“Parents need to be
aware that children learn a lot more from graphic sources now than in the
past,” says Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern
Illinois University. “Children need to know more about the world than just what
they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to
interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based
on it.” Knowledge about the visual arts, such as graphic symbolism, is
especially important in helping kids become smart consumers and navigate a
world filled with marketing logos.
Inventiveness
: When kids are encouraged to express themselves and take risks in creating
art, they develop a sense of innovation that will be important in their adult
lives. “The kind of people society needs to make it move forward are thinking,
inventive people who seek new ways and improvements, not people who can only
follow directions,” says Kohl. “Art is a way to encourage the process and the
experience of thinking and making things better!”
Cultural
Awareness : As we live in an increasingly diverse society,
the images of different groups in the media may also present mixed messages.
“If a child is playing with a toy that suggests a racist or sexist meaning,
part of that meaning develops because of the aesthetics of the toy—the color,
shape, texture of the hair,” says Freedman. Teaching children to recognize the
choices an artist or designer makes in portraying a subject helps kids
understand the concept that what they see may be someone’s interpretation of
reality.
Improved
Academic Performance : Studies show that there is a correlation
between art and other achievement. A report by Americans for the Arts states
that young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day on
three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be
recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair
or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not
participate.
Summary :
Children need to know
more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers.
Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual
information, and how to make choices based on it. "Knowledge of the visual
arts, such as graphic symbolism, is essential in helping children become smart
consumers and navigating a world full of logos marketing.Art is a way to
encourage thought processes and experiences and make things better
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