The Benefits Of Art Education
When a child is born from the moment they enter this world they are curious and are intent on learning how the world works. Once a child learns to control their body the next step is to move on to wanting to learn how to control the world. They want to know how to interact with it so they start their journey of take time to observe other figures in their lives and imitating, in the hopes that they can figure out how to interact with their surroundings. This process of exploration helps children learn and from connections which they will use for the remainders on their lives. Art not only supports this style of thinking but encourages it.
Art is often considered the process/product of arranging items and components in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. The freedom to create using different materials in an unbounded way allows for experimentation. Teaching the younger generation how to think for themselves and come up with creative ideas. This self-guided exploration is fun and educational. Art allows children to practice a wide range of skills and traits which leads to better development. Art should be taught in each and every school from elementary school on, because it enhances the creativity, it opens a new door for children, and help them to express who they are.
One of the benefits to being taught Art at an early age is the development of fine motor skills. Fine motor movements involves having the ability use precise coordination between the muscles in your hands and fingers. The act of just grabbing a pencil, pen, or paintbrush helps children of really young ages develop their fine motor muscles. Strong fine motor skills are essential not only for doing task such as using utensils and tying your shoelaces but without fine motor skills a child can struggle with more important matters such as learning to write.
“According to the National Institutes of Health, developmental milestones around age three should include drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Many preschool programs emphasize the use of scissors because it develops the dexterity children will need for writing”(Need Proper Citation Here). Without the proper education in Arts a child might struggle in life with some of the tasks that we consider second nature. Improved academic performance is a wonderful aspect to obtain by participating in Art classes. One way that a child's academic skills are improved is their math skills are greatly increased.
Children learn to create and begin to understand concepts of size, shape, making comparisons, and counting. Another skill that is dramatically improves is the language skills. For young children the process of making artwork gives them opportunities to develop strong language skills.They learn new ways to describe their artwork by using words that have to do with colors, shapes, actions and textures. Widening their vocabulary and developing important skills. Studies show that there are direct correlation between Art and other academic achievements. Children participating in Art as little as three days a week, are four times as likely to be honored for their academic success.
“A report by Americans for the Arts states that young people who participate regularly in the arts are four 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”(Need Proper Citation Here). I believe that the benefits of arts programs reach much deeper than the academic aspects, but pointing out the academic benefits is crucial in the argument for protecting arts programs in schools.
Visual Learning is a skill that will benefit children for the rest of the lives. This is also a skill that is acquired by Art classes and projects. Art can help children develop visual-spatial skills along with patterning, and cause and effect. Critical thinking is a huge part of creating artwork.You have to make mental plans and/or pictures of what you want to create and following through on your plans. Through this practice you eventually learn what works and compliments each other just by looking at it without having to finish the entire piece.
My little cousin, before he was even able to talk he was able to operate a tablet which support the argument of visual learning being important for children. “Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it. Graphic symbolism, is especially important in helping kids become smart consumers and navigate a world filled with marketing logos.” says Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University. Teaching visual literacy can enhance children learning in classrooms and also improve students' options in the workplace.
Art has actually been proven to have a power effect on human’s physical well being. “More scientific results suggest that the dopaminergic effect of art on the brain has a powerful effect on quality of life. In fact it has been shown, by Ercole Vellone, that among stroke survivors, those with interest in the arts enjoyed better general health, found it easier to walk, had more energy, and tend to be happier.” (Benve). The fact that Art can actually help cure the sick of their illnesses is amazing. As children starting off in a classroom doing Arts and Crafts you need really realize how much it's actually doing to better you in life. You never know but one day one of your Artworks could turn out to save a life, to give someone the will to keep fighting and that is something that should never be taken out of schools.
In my personal experiences Art can be used as a form of healing and sometimes can even be therapeutic. Without Art in mylife who know what I would be doing today. Art has affected me on a emotional and spiritual space like no other. Ever since I can remember Art has been a part of my life, a crucial element that helps me keep moving forward. Since childhood the forms of Artwork that I have gravitated towards have always been video games, cartoons, and animes. I remember waking up early on Saturday morning with a bowl of cereal in hand, waiting for my favorite shows to appear on the television. Playing video games was more of a lifestyle to me more than a hobby in childhood.
Video games taught me problem solving, helped me improve my hand-eye coordination, and made me more social. People who knew me a child knew that I was a shy kid always quiet, never bothered anyone or made any noise. But once video games came into my life people who shared this common interest instantly became friends. Those times in my life were special to me and would have never come to be if there was no Artwork around.Video games let you interact with the story and characters like no other form of Artwork. You get the sense that you are that specific person you are playing as. This makes you feel as if their trials and tribulations they experience are your own. Art has a way of reaching deep within us and connecting to the things that we hold dear, Our thoughts, our feeling, and our perceptions of life can all be highly influenced and constructed by a piece of Artwork.
Why do we need Art? Since Art is a subjective, abstract concept. It has no right or wrong. It can't be measured in the same way as a scientific principle. Anyone can do it.It's not something you can solidly grasp, and it's ever changing and reflecting. It's all around us, but can be taken for granted. Some forms of art are subtle by design and the better they are, the less you notice them (like industrial design, advertising and so on).It can't be categorized and valued in the way that other things are like food, clothing or shelter.
It comes from the inside and is in turn consumed internally. Some people devalue it for reasons like these. But that is why need at Art the most. We need Art to empathize with the struggles of others, to take care in a cause or movement generating. To develop inspiration. It can help inspire and shape individuals who can make the world a better place. It can teach us the first steps in humanizing with our fellow man from different walks of lives and different cultures. Art can make the world a better place, even if it's just one individual at a time. Whether you like it or not, art helps develop a massive portion of who you are. As they say, the media shapes us.
By witnessing the drama of these fictional characters, we get a taste of another person's life and can better empathize with people in different positions from us. We can feel their pains and struggles but also enjoy their journeys hopefully to a better destination from where they started. We can take complex ideas and drive them into a compelling format that makes these ideas appreciated and valued. Without art, these vivid concepts would be more difficult to understand, let alone care about.
Artwork has affected many children's lives worldwide in a way that no other subject can do. It allows children to develop skills that will be important for the rest of their lives while still allowing them to be who they truly are without fear of repercussion from the mass. It's a way of expressing yourself that be a form of therapy. Talent is not the key element in art, talent is actually not required at all. This is why I feel that art should be taught from K-12. It's important to develop art at a young age, when our minds are at a prime to absorb knowledge. It enhances children while doing it in a way that is also health for the mind. “Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art.”
