Promoting Art At Home: Why Is It Important?
Promoting art at home is important for children’s development. Art gives children the opportunity not only to develop fine motor skills, but also to understand and express themselves better. Art is also a powerful learning tool, which is why it is so important to promote art from home.
Creation is a form of expression in itself and the way it is experienced is also a form of expression. Creating art is an act that helps us express an idea, an experience, a feeling or a fantasy. Therefore , it helps us feel free to experiment and interact with the world.
In childhood , it is important to give children the opportunity to let their imagination run free, either through one or more disciplines: painting, sculpture, music, theater or dance.
Art in the human brain
At the physiological level, the human brain consists of two halves: left and right.
- The left brain is used in logical thinking, reasoning and other analytical processes. Therefore, it is related to mathematical operations, reading and the field of science.
- The right half is used in emotional perception, intuition and creativity. This part of the brain is mainly used when a person is involved in creative activities such as art.
By stimulating and exercising the right half, the connection between both halves is strengthened. Therefore, it is very useful to promote art from an early age as it helps to promote the development of the child’s cognitive abilities. In this way, the child will succeed in getting the most out of his potential, not only at school but also in life.
Technology is not what matters
When it comes to promoting art from home, it is not necessary to pay attention to the techniques, but rather for the child to feel comfortable creating freely. The idea is not to impose a complicated activity on the child, but to open a door to many possibilities.
As for the tools, it is good for them to be easy to handle, and for us to teach the child the skills necessary for them to use these tools on their own. It does not mean creating a masterpiece, but helping them enjoy the process of creation. Thus, we can promote the development of lateral thinking.
The importance of promoting art at home
Children can learn a lot from art activities that are perceived as a game, as it gives them the opportunity to explore the world around them, ask questions and see how things work in a spontaneous way.
Art allows them to be themselves, make decisions, reflect on their ideas and simply experiment with their imagination.
- Art helps children express themselves
- Provides a healthy distraction
- Favors the development of cognitive abilities
- Promotes the development of fine and gross motor skills (depending on the type chosen)
- When children’s creativity is valued, it makes them feel valued and accepted, which contributes positively to their self-esteem.
But how exactly does art help children?
Promoting art at home also promotes physical development
Artistic activities encourage the development of children’s muscles as well as hand-eye coordination, especially in art that uses particularly fine motor skills.
2. When children work together to create art, it is positive for social development
When children work together to create art, they learn to share, to interact with others, and to be responsible for cleaning and storing materials. These are positive and important initiatives for social learning.
Promoting art at home also means developing children’s cognitive abilities
Young children can learn a lot through experimentation. For example, they discover what happens when they mix two primary colors and achieve a secondary color.
4. Emotional development
Through art , children express their ideas beyond just speaking out loud. For example, they may draw images that are out of proportion or exaggerate the aspects that are important to them.
Considerations
In general, creative learning and the time devoted to art projects are not always given sufficient importance in schools.
Time spent on artistic activities is usually quite limited as they are considered more distraction than a learning tool. Therefore, we should try to promote art at home.
Emphasizing art does not mean that academic responsibilities must be set aside, or that the child must dedicate himself or herself to art at all times. It’s about leveraging this powerful tool for more integrated development.
