Art and Child Development
by Madelyn Kitchell
To keep on with ways art can help improve one’s life, it can greatly improve children’s lives. The main way art can benefit children is developmentally. One thing that children learn through doing art is math concepts and how to use them to create something. Children can use patterns to teach themself math through creating their very own art. This would probably still be more beneficial with an adult’s help but they can learn to do it on their own at some point.
Another way art helps children is by promoting decision making. It allows the kids to make their very own decisions. Creating also helps promote their problem solving skills and critical thinking. These seemingly simple skills are huge for any child’s development as they learn and grow.
I feel one of the biggest benefits of having children do art is improving their visual learning and motor skills. Motor skills engage small muscle groups in the child’s hands and arms allowing them to do more precise movements. This allows children to control smaller objects easier and more accurately. This is very important in younger children because these fine motor skills allow them to learn something simple as in drinking out of a cup on their own all the way to being able to hold a pencil effectively and write. As for visual learning, it teaches them how to use space effectively. It also allows children to learn how to interpret visual information.
You probably would have never thought that art promotes language development in younger children also! If you have kids of your own or have been around children you might have realized that colors and shapes seem to be one of the first word groups they start to learn. As they learn more they can learn the actions used to create along with the larger words that come with creating art!
Along with the last article I posted you can see it improves adults’ stress, but it can also improve children’s stress, self-esteem, and encourages them to express themselves. Art helps many people, not only kids, express emotions they otherwise wouldn’t know how to express through words. This is how art can improve one’s stress levels and self-esteem.
Check out my last article titled, “Art Therapy” to see ways you yourself or your children can reduce their stress through the use of art as a form of therapy!
About National Art Education Association: Founded in 1947, the National Art Education Association is the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts, design, and media arts education professionals. Their Mission is to champion creative growth and innovation by equitably advancing the tools and resources for a high-quality visual arts, design, and media arts education throughout diverse populations and communities of practice.
A National Resource: National Art Education Association www.arteducators.org
The Buchanan Chronicle 