Your child is a treasure trove of possibilities!
A child’s mind can do wonders! Children are quick to learn new concepts and are able to hold on to their early learnings all throughout their lives and benefit from it. When introduced to the right skill at the right time, children have the potential to grasp multiple things at once.
Of all the options that are open to children today, visual artforms make for an interesting one. Skills like painting, sculpting, theatre and photography can help children ace academics and develop life skills at the same time. Such children then tend to become avid learners and curious seekers — both inside the classroom and in life. Read on to learn about the benefits of visual arts and how they help children realise their true potential.
Igniting the spark of invention
Practicing art is like playing a sport with no rules. Children are free to use their imagination and experiment without holding back. Unlike academics, art is a subjective domain with no strict rules to play by — helping children develop an inventive attitude. They are free to follow their instincts to create something new. This then shapes them into free-thinking individuals who stay ahead of the curve and are always eager to learn. Such a mindset goes on to play a crucial role in helping children excel — in their studies and beyond.
Bringing out the scholar within
Reports state that youngsters who are exposed to arts early on, for about three hours each day, are four times more likely to excel in academics or related events such as quizzes, science fairs and olympiads. In fact, numerous studies point out that art helps children with mathematics, reading, writing and faster recall. Although art might seem like a spontaneous flow of emotion, its execution requires concentration, in turn helping children focus when studying.
Stepping towards a new way of learning
Educators are now encouraging the use of visual aids such as film and 3D models to conduct classes. When posed with visual stimuli, additional areas of the brain are engaged, which helps children learn faster. Thinking visually is also said to help children grasp complex mathematical concepts, increase concentration while reading and improve their emotional and social growth. That’s not all, neural connections forged during early exposure to visual arts help children read between the lines and understand information in a more comprehensive manner.
Peeking into other culture
Hands-on creative skills help unlock a child’s imagination — they can mentally transport themselves to the past and learn of different cultures and civilisations. For instance, encouraging children to enact a Shakespearean play will help them learn about the Elizabethan era — familiarising them with traditions and sparking their curiosity. Similarly, when children study the history of art, they learn all about landmark social and political events and schools of thought — adding to their knowledge of the world around them. The more children learn, the more they are exposed to their cultural surroundings and their role in society, transforming them into well-read, culturally aware individuals.
Thankfully for children today, the world has come to acknowledge the existence of multiple intelligences.Intelligence now, is gauged through multiple performances: academic as well as other areas such as sports and arts. And advanced skills in visual arts may very well be considered a form of intelligence that helps children brush up their skills in abstract thinking, communication and problem-solving. That’s not all, visual arts bring to life unexpressed emotions and is a great form of self-expression. In fact, by helping children express themselves artistically, visual arts aid in shaping them into well-rounded adults with well-balanced emotions.
