C hildren
memory skills. We all learned
our ABC’s through a song!
Singing also improves lung
function and increases blood
flow. Why your child should
play music
When creating music children
become much more engaged
than when they just listen.
Singing and using instruments
boosts their creativity and can
easily be done in groups to
improve their social skills and
help them bond with others.
You don’t need to send your
child to structured music les-
sons to get the benefits. You
can buy great children’s mu-
sical instruments like a glock-
enspiel that they can bang
on to their hearts content,
or create your own for a fun
family craft activity! All it takes
is some rice inside a container
to make a shaker, or an ice
cream tub for a drum. Playing
music, singing and dancing
is extremely important for
children’s self-expression.
Children can’t always commu-
nicate their feelings through
words, so it’s useful for them
to have a healthy outlet for
their emotions. Get your child
singing, dancing and playing
music.
imaginative ideas and descriptive
language that were otherwise
not available to her. Beth was so
intrigued by what she observed
in her daughter’s learning process
that she founded a program called
Picturing Writing, to provide
struggling learners with artistic
means to become stronger read-
ers and writers. Laura, a parent of
an elementary school-aged child,
saw similar things happen with
her daughter. She describes Carly
as a hardworking, compassionate
child with an active imagination
and solid thinking skills, but who
also has been diagnosed with
severe, double-deficit dyslexia.
Carly draws images to help her
remember the meaning of words,
because written language does
not. Laura recalls a time when
Carly had to complete a research
assignment: “Because writing,
even formulating ideas, linearly is
difficult for her, we asked per-
mission for her to express herself
through art. She chose clay.” Carly
created sculptures to reflect her
understanding of concepts and
ideas she was learning. Laura now
adamantly believes that children
can demonstrate nuances they
cannot verbally express through
visual arts. Laura also believes
that engagement in the arts helps
Carly see herself as a successful
learner. “Carly elected to take a
class in sculpture over the sum-
mer. Now we can remind her that
at one time she didn’t know to
carve in stone, and by the end
of the class she had created a
bird and a fish.” Jan’s experience
echoes Beth’s and Laura’s. She
says: “My son has ADHD, sensory
processing disorder, and bipolar
disorder. He has trouble focus-
ing and holding himself togeth-
er during the school day, often
coming home and completely
falling apart … but he loves to
build and create.” Through art,
“he is able to easily problem
solve … his imagination runs and
his explanation for each piece’s
function is complex and clever.
This is one of his strengths.” Jan
also says that her son takes an art
class outside of school. “He loves
39
this class and comes home calm,
happy, proud of his creations, and
wanting to draw!” Researchers at
Johns Hopkins University School
of Education agree with what
Beth, Laura, and Jan discovered
on their own: the importance of
the arts in children’s lives. A study
shared at the 2009 Learning, Arts,
and the Brain Summit reported
that children showed more moti-
vation, paid closer attention, and
remembered what they learned
more easily when the arts were
integrated into the curriculum.
If you notice that your child is
struggling to learn or is becoming
disengaged in school, here are a
few strategies for how to lean on
the arts as your ally and advocate.
Reluctance writing: If your child
shows anxiety facing a blank
page, give him the chance to build
something, dance, make music,
create a collage or draw a picture
before ever putting a pen to pa-
per. Engaging in concrete, visually
and kinesthetically rich experienc-
es will stimulate language devel-
opment and support his ability to
express his ideas with words.
Communicating with teachers:
You might need to be your child’s
advocate if her teacher does not
yet understand the relationship
between the arts and learning.
Explain to the teacher that artis-
tic projects can help make your
child’s thinking more visible to
others, assist her memory and
lead to more success in school.
The most important lifeline your
child can have is the understand-
ing that being artistic is a way of
being “smart”!