A child comes to the world with an innate capacity to learn. The first language of learning starts with babies trying to understand their immediate environment. Learning is visual, auditory, and hands on. Children are naturally curious and as their brains and bodies develop, they continually seek out understanding and experiences. So, what may look like “scribbling on a wall” is a child creating their own expressive masterpiece. As parents and educators, our role is to create opportunities for children to learn and develop. The best of these experiences do not feel like structured learning; instead they feel like a journey of discovery and play. This is how we teach art at Otto2: with a proven technique that teaches art in a way children love. So, why should your child learn art?
Artists are good decision makers
Creating even the smallest piece of art requires decision-making. One of many benefits of participating in art classes is that children develop their ability of independent thinking, which in turn promotes innovation as well as a willingness for fearless thinking. Deciding on things like colour combinations or what materials to use all help to further develop decision-making skills. In an academic setting, the opportunity to make decisions is often reduced. In an art-based environment, children are given agency to take control of their work. This prepares them for a lifetime of decision making.
Artists are creative
Predictably, one of art’s fundamental principles is creativity. What is less well understood is how
Important creativity is to life in general, even if your child never pursues art after their early years. Creativity develops thinking and learning skills and helps individuals to think outside of the box. It allows for the freedom to discover, experiment with different ideas and to embrace the journey of exploration. Creativity has no limits, is subjective, and is a life skill that is highly transferable to academia. Through art classes, children can learn various ways to express their creativity.
Art is a form of visual learning
Children can find it hard to understand the language of textbooks. Art is a great example of visual learning, helping children to absorb what can be difficult to understand topics. Visual learning has a powerful impact on a child's brain in comparison to simple text. Did you know that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text? Learning art which is all about the visual could help your child become more active and enhance interpretation skills.
Art is a way for children to communicate
Creating art is an alternative way for children to convey their feelings rather than verbal expression. For example, art therapy is an established method for specialists to help children to deal with trauma. Learning and creating art helps your child with expressing their thoughts, feelings and viewpoints.
Art can help build self-confidence
Creating artwork validates the uniqueness of a child and gives a feeling of accomplishment. This leads to a building up of children’s self-confidence. Consider how proud your child is when they show you their art. Art can give children a general sense of belief and control over their actions. Studies also have shown that when children participate in art activities with peers, the feedback they give to each other builds self-respect by helping them learn to accept criticism and praise from others.
We at Otto2Art have created an art focused curriculum for a wide range of age groups with the aim of not just developing art skills but also helping your child to blossom and grow.
Did you enjoy reading this article? You might also be interested in “Get Inspired: Let’s Talk and Learn Through Art!”
Developed for Otto2Art.
Written by WOI.