Arts education is an important component of any child’s development because it teaches teamwork, analytic, and creative skills. These skills are often left out of traditional curricula that emphasize technical skills, such as math and science, to prepare students for undergraduate degrees, master’s degrees, and even Ph.D.s in a rewarding field of study. This leaves children little room for individual expression and a chance to work on personal development and concentration.
Art can also help children work out any frustrations in their lives by offering a healthy, expressive medium. In addition, exposure to art and the chance to develop their own art provides children with a more diversified experience that can help them in the classroom as well, allowing them for more opportunities for an enhanced learning experience. In the classroom art education is a crucial component for a child’s personal development. Several studies have concluded that art education is very important at a young age, because children are still developing their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students also have the opportunity to fine-tune their motor skills through art. The cognitive processes involved in learning to draw accurately, choose the right colors and shapes, and create detailed work help children develop the motor skills associated with these tasks. In terms of musical arts, students are able to use their knowledge of musical notes and translate that into math skills. Musical rhythms can provide a way for students to learn fractions, counting, and patterns in a way that traditional classrooms cannot teach.
Studies have also shown that there is a direct correlation between arts education at a young age and academic achievement later in life. It is much easier for children to learn about the arts and integrate their studies into their daily lives than it is for adults. This is because of the way the brain develops. The child’s brain is able to absorb more material and adjust accordingly than the adult brain, which is less dynamic and less able to accommodate for new information. As a result, children who studied arts at a young age achieve more academic success later in life than those who did not.
Arts education for young children is also a way to get students more involved in the learning process. Classes that have hands-on activities, such as painting, drawing, building, or designing projects, provide students with an outlet for their feelings and thoughts and keep them interested in learning. This is especially true for young students, who often have trouble focusing in the classroom when teachers give lectures or lessons that are not interactive. Through art and other applicable teaching tools that allow students to work on a project hands-on, students are more excited about learning and often take home a clearer lesson than they would otherwise. As a result, students who participate in their own creative art projects are able to focus more and take pride in their work, which motivates them to work harder to achieve their goal.
The importance of art in a child’s development is undeniable. Especially for young children who are still developing key cognitive and motor skills, art enables them to work on their own projects that are applicable to daily life. Students who study art at a young age tend to have higher test scores and have more academic success later in life. Art provides students an outlet for emotional troubles, as well, and helps them to deal with stress and difficult feelings. These benefits clearly show the value of art education and call for its increased inclusion in school curricula for children.