An education in art. Why is it important? Students are expected to learn and use skills taught in math, science and language classes – but art? How many students will actually pursue careers in art? This is a valid question. As a parent, teacher, or mentor you may have asked yourself this question before. Today I will briefly state three benefits of art education not for the sake of art itself, but for the purpose of building skills a child needs to succeed in multiple areas of life.
1. Literacy
When a child is given a crayon at a young age, they make marks and scribble. They can almost always tell you a story, like “This is my mommy, and she is pushing me on a swing” or “Here is my grandpa and he is reading me a book”. For a child, this is the first stage of symbol making, an initial attempt at communicating a concept or idea on paper. In the pre-elementary years children learn symbols that are associated with sounds (letters), which make up the building blocks of our written language. Encouraging children to draw and make art early in life will greatly encourage their interest in the written language and undoubtedly positively affect their reading and writing proficiency.
Encouraging children to draw and make art early in life will greatly encourage their interest in the written language
2. Creativity
In the elementary grades children can develop skills through art such as idea generation, idea refinement, goal setting and co-operation. Take for instance a child who is handed a chunk of clay and is asked to form it into a bird. The child has numerous choices to make: cardinal or swan? Sitting on a nest or in flight? Immediately the child takes ownership of an idea and surges ahead testing different techniques, altering how they form the clay and asking questions. The child will have to learn to work based on the characteristics of the clay and must work within these parameters. Then the child could be asked to create an environment for theirs and other’s creatures, requiring collaboration and co-operation between peers. Skills such as these and those stated above are highly sought after in the workforce! If children can practice these skills at a young age, they will be successful in any career they pursue.
If children can practice these [art] skills at a young age, they will be successful in any career they pursue!
3. Critical Evaluation
In our highly visual society, children are constantly bombarded with images in the form of advertisements, product packaging and television to name a few. By critically looking at art and other images in our culture and using valid sources to determine the facts, children can make informed judgments about the images they consume on a daily basis. Learning to draw from observation will help children to develop the observation skills necessary to take part in critical reflection. Basically, teaching children to “read the messages” of a variety of images is an invaluable skill to have as an engaged and informed member of society.
Learning to draw from observation will help children to develop the observation skills necessary to take part in critical reflection.
Not only can art making be a fun experience, it can provide kids with the opportunity to learn important life-long skills. Seek ways to encourage the artist in your child. Get involved with their art class at school, do puzzles and visual illusions together, even buy washable paints and large paper for them to work with at home. Doing so will encourage your child to imagine possibilities and engage in the world around them.
