Development

The Importance Of Art In Children

Importance of arts in kids

The Importance Of Art In Children

 

Physiologically, the human brain consists of 2 parts, the left and the right hemisphere.  The left brain is used in logical thinking and analytical processes.  This is typically what is trained in school work that consists of math, reading and science.  The right brain is used in emotional perception, intuition and creativity.  It is the right brain that is mainly used when a person is involved in creative endeavors such as making art.  This part of the brain is the one that typical school environment neglects to train.

It appears that for the brain to be efficient, the two hemispheres of the brains must work together.  By stimulating and exercising the right hemisphere of the brain, the arts strengthen the connection between the hemispheres.

Art is naturally linked to creativity, an attribute that is increasingly being touted as one of the most important factors for the success of individuals, organizations, and cultures.

The truth is that art is vital, if somewhat intangible, and that if children engage in hands-on art activities, they learn much better in all disciplines.

The researchers suggest that children exposed to arts and crafts are able to think “out of the box” since a lot of working with hands involve figuring out how to solve problems creatively.

 

How to make art a part of your kid’s development?

 

  • Keep the arts and crafts supply available and accessible to your kid – paper, pencil, crayons, etc.
  • You must celebrate your child’s artwork. Try and hang their drawings on the wall or save it in a folder.  Your child will feel that their creation is important.
  • Gain more knowledge by reading books on arts and how to use them for kid’s development.
  • Take more family trips to museums, concerts, or theatre.
  • Get your child to notice the art around them – on streets, walls, subways etc. Talk about what they notice in that artwork.
  • Share your artistic skills and interests with your kid.
  • Find out what your kids love about the art.
  • If your kid shows great interest in something particular you can enrol them in arts class.

 

Benefits of art in kids

 

  • Art promotes creativity

The ability to be creative is vital to the success of our children and the well-being of our world, now more than ever, as we face incredible challenges such as racial discord, wars, global warming, and mass extinctions.

According to the International Child Art Foundation, “Research indicates that a child who is exposed to the arts acquires a special ability to think creatively, be original, discover, innovate, and create intellectual property—key attributes for individual success and social prosperity in the twenty-first century. The world needs more and better thinkers.

 

  • Art is a voice beyond words

Art provides kids with critical sensory input and can help children express their feelings in a multidimensional way even if they lack the vocabulary to describe their feelings with words. Children often use art to help them process their experiences and deal with overwhelming emotions.

It is the kind of activity that can employ all the senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste—depending on the activity.

 

  • Art encourages innovation

It encourages creativity and imaginative thinking, two skills that are increasingly linked with long-term professional success. Art forces children to engage in out of the box thinking and can help them hone their creative problem-solving skills.

“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,”

 

  • Art builds fine motor skills

Many of the motions involved in making art, such as holding a paintbrush or scribbling with a crayon, drawing dots and lines, mixing colors, cutting with scissors, controlling a glue stick or squeezing a glue bottle, kneading and rolling playdough, tearing paper are essential to the growth of fine motor skills in young children.

All of these tasks require increasing amounts of dexterity and coordination.

 

  • Art helps to connect and bond

Art can help facilitate communication and bonding between children even if they don’t know each other or don’t share many common interests. Creating art in small group settings encourages cooperative behavior in children, giving them opportunities to practice crucial social skills like sharing, taking turns and working together.

  

Takeaway for you kid

 

Importance of arts in kids

Image source – Pinterest

  • Your kid learns to think creatively, with an open mind
  • They learn to observe, describe, analyze and interpret
  • Understand how to express feelings.
  • Start collaborating with other children and with adults
  • Arts introduce children to cultures from around the world
  • It also builds confidence.  Because there is not just one right way to make art, every child can feel pride in his or her original artistic creations.
  • Arts also builds community.  Schools with a variety of differences can celebrate the arts as one community.

 

Also read: How to raise a confident child?

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