Almost every child can benefit from having art as part of their early education. As well as being fun and relaxing, art inspires creativity and helps children to develop a range of skills. Learning about art is an important aspect of child development.
Benefits of Learning About Art for Children
There are several ways that art education can enhance overall growth:
Role of Art in Language Development
Talking about art, whether from actually producing simple pieces or when simply looking at works, can enhance a young child’s vocabulary. Little children can learn a range of words related to colors, shapes, objects, and actions. When a bit older, kids can start to describe pieces of art and start to talk about basic interpretations of art and how they feel when viewing different works.
Increased Self Confidence
Learning about art provides children with a means of being independent at a young age. Kids are encouraged to be individuals while experimenting and exploring.
Connection Between Learning About Art and Fine Motor Skills
Art allows kids to use various motions, which can help with the development of fine motor skills. For example, holding a crayon or paintbrush, using child-safe scissors and glue sticks, and peeling the backing of stickers can all assist young children with precision and dexterity.
Increased Inventiveness
Expressing creativity and having the freedom to make something unique can inspire a sense of innovation in young learners. Developing confidence in trying new things from an early age can promote thinking outside of the box and a new way of finding solutions in the future. Additionally, research indicates a link between art and the development of problem-solving skills.
Art Encourages Visual Learning
Not all kids can learn in the same way. While some children easily digest text and numbers, others need more visual ways of gaining information. Art can help children to absorb information visually.
Enhancement of Sensory Growth
Art projects provide lots of sensory stimulation, which is essential for overall childhood development. With diverse colors, textures, and sounds (think crinkling of paper and the whooshing of a spray paint, for example), creating art can appeal to several senses.
Art Provides Different Methods of Expression
Children are not limited to words and actions when they can enjoy art; art provides kids with another way of expressing themselves. Art can be therapeutic too, making it even more important when it comes to learning about art at an early age.
Types of Art for Kids
Children can enjoy many types of art and numerous artistic materials. From painting, drawing, and coloring in printed images, to basic sculpting, printing, and tissue art, there are lots of ways for kids to experiment with art. Shaving foam art, fabric dying, marbling, weaving, sewing, and photography are a few more examples.
Terrific Artists for Children to Learn About
While there are many great artists to discuss with young and curious minds, several artists are especially attractive to kids. Gustav Klimt’s works are colorful and imaginative, while Andy Warhol’s simplistic pop art is sure to appeal to youngsters. It’s fairly easy for kids to try and replicate masterpieces by Van Gogh and the circles of Wassily Kandinsky’s artworks. Other terrific kid-friendly artists include Matisse, Monet, Seurat, and Pollock.
