Our children are encouraged to do well in and out of school, often supplementing education with extracurricular activities, such as sport, music, and arts. While our society recognises the value of academics and athletics, we are convinced art is as important.
Studies show that early exposure to art promotes activity in the brain, greatly aiding in the development of valuable life skills through fun, creative activities. Examples are:
Physical Skills
The most obvious physical developments noticed once a child starts art is the eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity. Aside from these, art encourages children to give more attention to the physical spaces that surround them.
- Fine and gross motor skills
- Eye-hand coordination
- Experimenting with textures, stimulating the sense of touch
Communication Skills
Art provides a common ground across racial stereotypes, barriers, and prejudices. It gives children a way to express themselves. Children learn and develop skills, such as story-telling and managing emotions.
- Visual interpretation (nonverbal) to tell stories or explain what they’ve seen or imagined
- Expressing their emotions creatively
- Drawing pictures of faces with emotions (recognizing how to read emotions)
Cognitive Skills
Art nurtures inventiveness. It engages children in a process of creative problem-solving. They learn to communicate their thoughts and ideas in a variety of ways. Skills developed include:
- Observation
- Creative colour visualisation
- Comparison
- Following multistep directions
- Expanding their imagination
- Problem-solving and thinking
- Discovering new perspectives
Social Skills
Participating in art activities helps children gain the necessary tools for understanding, adapting to, and respecting others’ ways of working and thinking; developing self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation.
- Active listening
- Understanding
- Empathy
- Sharing
- Teamwork
Art classes help prepare your child for school in so many ways!
Get in touch today with anyone from our team at Les Petits Painters, and let’s talk about scheduling your little artist for painting classes!