***Macaroni Kid Knoxville May Giveaway!***
Congrats to Rebecca Manz! Our May Winner of the free Kids Art Camp or Sunday Afternoon Art Workshop with Miss Shelley! (In the Art Studio at Smart Toys & Books)
Do you remember when we were kids and Art was an important part of our everyday lives? In Preschool we had crafts every day, in Kindergarten there was a whole section of the room just for creating Art, in 1st grade, we were learning how to weave baskets, and the rest of Elementary school we painted, worked with oil pastels, and made pinch pots out of clay. In recent years, many schools have shifted heavily toward common core subjects of reading and math, and Art has been confined to a rolling cart on wheels full of crayons, construction paper, and glue sticks that moves from classroom to classroom.
Did you know that creative activities are some of the building blocks of child development? Learning to create and appreciate visual and hands-on Art may be more important than ever to the development of our children as they grow up.
Check out these 5 Developmental Benefits of Art
Language Development: For young children, making art provides opportunities to learn about words for colors, shapes, and actions. With toddlers and preschoolers, parents can do simple activities such as making shapes out of playdough or clay and having the child name them. By elementary school, students can use descriptive words to discuss their own creations or to talk about what they feel when they see different styles of artwork by peer Artists or in a museum.
Decision-Making Skills: According to a report by Americans for the Arts, art education helps strengthen problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. By making decisions and choices while creating art, that experience carries over into other parts of life. If given a chance to explore various forms and ways to create, a child’s creativity and imagination will blossom! They enjoy learning what colors go well together in a painting, how different materials interact, and they also learn trial and error as they try to figure out how to make the handle stay on a clay mug, or what happens if I melt this crayon on this object, or how to create new colors by mixing and adding various shades.
Improved Academic Performance: Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between art and academic performance. A report from 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.” Not only does Art give children confidence, it helps them think outside the box and explore and better understand the world around them. When kids are encouraged to express themselves and take risks in creating their art, they develop a sense of innovation that will be important in their adult lives and help them along the journey.
Motor Skills: Motions involved in making Art are essential to the growth of fine motor skills in young children. By holding a paintbrush, beading a necklace, cutting with scissors, creating with clay, or coloring a picture, children are learning skills that develop the dexterity children will need for writing, drawing, and painting as they get older. According to the National Institutes of Health, developmental milestones around age three should include drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Around age four, children should be able to draw a square and begin cutting straight lines with scissors.
Visual Learning: Drawing, sculpting with clay, painting, and crafting all develop important visual learning skills. Toddlers know how to operate a smartphone or tablet, which means that even before they can read, kids are taking in visual information that is impacting their learning. Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University says that “Parents need to be aware that children learn a lot more from graphic sources now than in the past. Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it.”
Kids love Art and they need it! Yes, it can be messy, take them to an Art Studio or designate an art space in your home or garage for creating. Just know that the mess is for a good cause and your child is growing and learning as they are creating. Give them an old t-shirt for an apron and let their imagination go or sign them up for a weekly Art Class in your town. Not only will your child’s confidence grow but you will thank yourself later for helping them reach important developmental milestones and have some pretty cool Art to hang on your walls or display that you can treasure forever!
About the Author & Artwork: Shelley Lapham-Pastore (aka: Miss Shelley) is a certified Art Instructor and Elementary Art Educator in Knoxville, TN. She has taught thousands of kids in NC, SC, & TN and enjoys traveling to teach in schools, Art Studios, Homeschool Groups, and has even taught for the Pro-Golfers Kids on the PGA Tour! Her passion is Art and making sure Kids enjoy creating and learning about it so they will pass it down to future generations. The featured Artwork are just a few of the creations her students have made in classes over the years. You can read more about what she does at CreativeArtInfo.com and check out the schedule for upcoming classes and Summer Art Camps in the Knoxville area!
