5 Ways Art Classes Can Expand Your Child’s Mind

Being a visual artist, maybe I am a bit bias and consider art more important for kids than some other parents. Today, it seems that sports seem to take precedence over everything else. I understand the importance of children being active and physically healthy, but someties I think that the arts get the short end of the stick.

With art, there are no rules, no right or wrong answer, and no competitiveness. Unlike playing soccer or lacrosse, art will still be there for you when you’re old. And in a world where success is emphasized daily, art can be a pleasant, much-needed reprieve for a child.

Here are a few ways art can help your child to grow.

1. It increases their fine motor skills. While children are drawing, constructing, sculpting, painting and cutting, they are perfecting their fine motor skills–skills that children have to practice to achieve. But while they’re making art, they won’t even realize that they’re practicing; they’ll just be focused on having fun.

2. Art challenges their creative thinking and helps to build their problem solving skills. When children create art, they have decisions to make and problems to solve–but without the pressure they might have in an academic environment.

3. Art helps children explore feelings and build empathy. Sometimes children have a hard time commuting how they fell into words. Art allows kids to process and express their feelings in a non-verbal way.

4. Art can boost their confidence because in art, there’s no wrong answer and no winning team!

5. Art might help their academic performance. Studies show that there is a correlation between art and other achievements. PBS published a post saying, “…young people who participate regularly in the arts (3 hours a day on 3 days each week through one full year) are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.”

More than anything, making art is just fun and low pressure! It’s something you can even do together I am always completely amazed by kids’ creativity and inventiveness when they are left unattended with a bunch of art supplies! Spend a few minutes just observing and you’ll see what I mean.

When Snapchat is Your Kids’ Main Form of Communication