At ABC Great Beginnings, we offer arts education programs to our students because we know how valuable creativity is. Music, theater, painting and other artistic activities help children develop on many fundamental levels.
Here are some ways that the arts help children learn and grow:
Inspiring Creativity
The arts allow young children to express themselves better than math or science does. In an arts program, your child might learn to recite a poem or monologue, create a painting or compose a new rhythm. When children practice thinking creatively at a young age, it will come naturally to them later in life.
Improving Academic Performance
Arts don’t just develop a child’s creativity, the skills it teaches them to spill over into academic achievement. Young children who participate regularly in arts are four times as likely to be recognized for academic achievement and to participate in math, science, writing courses and activities.
Enhancing Motor Skills
Simple things like holding a paintbrush and scribbling with crayons are important to developing a child’s fine motor skills. Developmental milestones around age three should include drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Around age four, children should be able to draw a square cut straight lines with scissors.
Building Confidence
Mastering a subject builds a student’s confidence on its own, but there is also something special about participating in the arts. Getting up on a stage and singing or presenting artwork gives kids a chance to step outside their comfort zone. As they improve and see their own progress, self-confidence continues to grow.
Encouraging Visual Learning
Drawing, painting and sculpting in art class help children develop visual-spatial skills. 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 and critique visual information. They can then learn how to make choices on this information.
Practicing Collaboration
Many of the arts like band, choir and theater require children to work together. They must share responsibility and compromise to achieve a common goal. Kids will learn that their contribution to the group is integral to its success, even if they aren’t a lead role.
