SHOWCASE MAGAZINE | 2018
numerous books about children’s
art education.
Developmental
Benefits of Art
Motor Skills: Many of the motions
involved in making art, such as
holding a paintbrush or scribbling
with a crayon, are essential to
the growth of fine motor skills
in young children. According to
the National Institutes of Health,
developmental milestones around
age three should include draw-
ing a circle and beginning to use
safety scissors. Around age four,
children may be able to draw a
square and begin cutting straight
lines with scissors. Many pre-
school programs emphasize the
use of scissors because it develops
the dexterity children will need
for writing.
Language Development: For very
young children, making art—or
just talking about it—provides
opportunities to learn words
for colors, shapes and actions.
When toddlers are as young as a
year old, parents can do simple
activities such as crumpling up
paper and calling it a “ball.” By
elementary school, students can
use descriptive words to discuss
their own creations or to talk
about what feelings are elicited
when they see different styles of
artwork.
Decision Making: According to a
report by Americans for the Arts,
art education strengthens prob-
lem-solving and critical-thinking
skills. The experience of making
decisions and choices in the
course of creating art carries over
into other parts of life. “If they
are exploring and thinking and
experimenting and trying new
ideas, then creativity has a chance
to blossom,” says MaryAnn Kohl,
an arts educator and author of
36
Visual Learning: Drawing, sculpt-
ing with clay and threading beads
on a string all develop visual-spa-
tial skills, which are more import-
ant than ever. Even toddlers know
how to operate a smart phone or
tablet, which means that even be-
fore they can read, kids are taking
in visual information. This infor-
mation consists of cues that we
get from pictures or three-dimen-
sional objects from digital media,
books and television. “Parents
need to be aware that children
learn a lot more from graphic
sources now than in the past,”
says Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head
of Art and Design Education at
Northern Illinois University. “Chil-
dren need to know more about
the world than just what they can
learn through text and numbers.
Art education teaches students
how to interpret, criticize, and use
visual information, and how to
make choices based on it.” Knowl-
edge about the visual arts, such
as graphic symbolism, is especially
important in helping kids become
smart consumers and navigate a
world filled with marketing logos.
Inventiveness: When kids are
encouraged to express themselves
and take risks in creating art, they
develop a sense of innovation that
will be important in their adult
lives. “The kind of people society
needs to make it move forward
are thinking, inventive people
who seek new ways and improve-
ments, not people who can only
follow directions,” says Kohl. “Art
is a way to encourage the process
and the experience of thinking
and making things better!”