Are you aware of the benefits of arts in children? I am sure your child or children have a box full of art materials, right? It is a basic material for us at home. Enzo especially spends a lot of time with his coloring books. He also enjoys painting and mixing colors. Aside from the usual knowledge of different colors, and coloring within the lines, Enzo benefits a lot from arts.
Benefits of Arts in Early Childhood Development
Helps develop motor skills.
In preschoolers, holding a crayon helps develop their fine motor skills. At first, the child grasps the crayon as a whole and eventually learns with constant practice, the right way to hold it. Art makes it easier for them to hold a crayon which is essential in skills such as writing. This then enhances their dexterity which will help make writing easier for them. Aside from coloring, modeling clay, and sand can also help improve their fine motor skills.
Improve language development.
Art is an easy topic to converse with children. One of the first things our children learn are the colors, and they can easily say these words. According to Lynch (2015), making art provides opportunities for the child to learn a whole lot of vocabulary. This can include shapes, colors, and even actions. Art then is a good tool to enhance language development among children.
Supports creativity and imagination.
Other benefits of arts in child development is its ability to enhance creativity and imagination. Using the different medium of arts, children are able to materialize their ideas into paper, sculpture, or painting. It challenges their imagination and their ability to make it come true.
Helps build self-esteem.
The more children are able to create an artwork, the higher their confidence is in making more. Have you noticed how your child would immediately color another page of their coloring book once done? This is because they feel good about themselves when they are able to finish a page. Additionally, parents, oftentimes praise or compliment them for artwork so it builds up their self-esteem
Supports all domains of development.
In general, the benefits of arts in children are four-fold. It targets the physical, socio-emotional, language, and cognitive aspects of a child. Art is an important tool in making our children think, feel, talk, and move. It connects one activity into all four domains which engage all the senses of the child. This kind of play makes learning more experiential increasing its retention. Thus, the benefits of arts in children are holistic.
In conclusion, it is important that children are exposed to different arts early in development. The benefits of arts in children are better absorbed when they are exposed to it earlier. Likewise, providing more consistent art activities to them will increase its benefits.
So, let your child enjoy the benefits of arts by enrolling them in Manila Workshop’s Art Jam Workshop: Paint, Sketch, and Smudge Workshop for Kids. It will happen this May 8 -23 at CarsonCrest International School from 1:00 – 5:00PM. Kids will explore the world of art in 10 days including sketching, painting, and smudging.
To find out more about this activity, like Manila Workshop on Facebook. See you there and let’s reap the benefits of arts in children at this event!
