3 reasons why art is good for kids

I have a confession to make: I didn’t really like art as a subject when I was growing up. It was one of my least favorite subjects in school, mostly because I felt that my art teachers didn’t really seem interested in teaching us, or weren’t really ‘trained’ to teach us. (For your information, I grew up in a country which has a rather different educational system compared to the Philippines, and in the schools I went to, art wasn’t really a ‘major’ subject.)

I guess that’s why, when my husband and I decided to homeschool our children, one of the things I dreaded was teaching them art. I knew that they needed to learn the basics, and that they would benefit from it, too, but I just didn’t know where to start.

So, for the first two years of our ‘formal’ homeschooling journey, art wasn’t really a major part of our regular routine. Sure, we did a few simple arts and crafts projects here and there, and I tried making art materials and books about art available to our children, but it still felt like I wasn’t teaching them ‘enough.’

But why is art important anyway? And why is it considered ‘good’ for kids?

Why art is beneficial to children

Here are 3 reasons, based on an article titled “Art in Early Childhood: Curriculum Connections,” which was written by Jill Englebright Fox, Ph.D., and Stacey Berry, M.Ed. for EarlyChildhoodNews.com:

1. Art helps in children’s socio-emotional development.

Art helps children learn to be more independent, and foster their decision-making skills. To quote from the article:

“Young children feel a sense of emotional satisfaction when they are involved in making art, whether they are modeling with clay, drawing with crayons, or making a collage from recycled scraps. This satisfaction comes from the control children have over the materials they use and the autonomy they have in the decisions they make (Schirrmacher, 1998; Seefeldt, 1993).”

Photo from Likhang Bata Online Gallery’s Facebook page

Fox and Berry also mentioned that creating works of art also “builds children’s self-esteem” because they are able to express their thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, small group art activities help kids pick up vital social skills like sharing and taking turns.

2. Art helps boost children’s cognitive development.

Creating art helps children, especially very young ones, “explore” with their senses. “They enjoy the feeling of a crayon moving across paper and seeing a blob of colored paint grow larger,” write Fox and Berry.

They also emphasize that “…exploring materials is very important because it is through exploration that children build a knowledge of the objects in the world around them.”

Photo from Likhang Bata Online Gallery’s Facebook page

When children grow older, they also learn how to use symbols in their art activities. They start to “represent real objects, events, and feelings in their artwork.”  Thus, in a way, it helps provide a foundation for a child’s “use of words to symbolize objects and actions in formal writing” later on.

3. Art helps in children’s motor development.

When children make art, they “develop control of large and small muscle groups.” Thus, the movements involved in creating art help “build coordination and strength,” and “develop fine motor dexterity and control.”

Photo from Likhang Bata Online Gallery’s Facebook page

Creating art also helps improve children’s eye-hand coordination, which is important for many other activities, like writing.

An invitation to the SALAMAT NANAY Art Exhibit

Since I am admittedly not so good in teaching art to our children, my husband and I decided to have them join Teacher Dindi Manlapaz’s Meeting the Art Masters Art Camp for kids. The kids have been having fun with their weekly classes, and have also learned a thing or two about different art masters and art styles/techniques.

This Thursday, October 23, 2014, our children’s “masterpieces,” along with those of Teacher Dindi’s other students, will be featured in the SALAMAT NANAY Art Exhibit.

Here is more information about the exhibit, from Teacher Dindi’s website:

“SALAMAT NANAY is a culminating exhibit by students from my Art Camp and Art Tutorial sessions. You are all invited to come and enjoy the artworks and share your blessings with breastfeeding mothers in need. Light snacks will also be served.

WHEN: October 23, 2014/1:30-5:30pm

WHERE: #29, 1st St., New Manila, QC

Admission is FREE but you are invited to bring any of the following as a donation to our Best For Families Inc. and Likhang Bata beneficiaries:

- Crayons, Pencils, Erasers, Sharpeners

- Notebooks, Sketchpads, Poster paper

- Poster paints and paint brushes

- Colored paper

- Baby clothes

- Towels, bibs and cloth wipes

- There will also be a MILK LETTING to collect breast milk for BFF Inc.'s newborn beneficiaries.    

If you are free this Thursday, please do come and join us. For more information about the exhibit and Likhang Bata’s art camps for kids, you may contact Teacher Dindi Manlapaz at denisemanlapaz@ymail.com, or contact me here.