A lot of parents who homeschool tend to focus on subjects like Math, English, and Science believing them to be the most important areas of education for their children to have, and although it is true that those three subjects are really important, they are not the only ones.
It is my firm belief that art, and making art in particular, is a really important thing for kids, homeschooled or not, to do regularly, and this is something they should be doing from preschool age or earlier. Why? Here are just some of the benefits kids will get from making art on a regular basis…
Increased creativity
This one is a no-brainer, but if kids are given the time and space to make art, they are naturally going to become more creative than children who do not engage in artistic endeavors. Creativity can help children to solve problems, have more fun, and develop in the proper way physically, mentally, and emotionally, so this is a really important point that should not be understated.
Develop motor skills
One reason why art is so often a big focus for preschool children everywhere is the fact that it can help to develop fine motor skills in young children. Whether they’re scribbling a family portrait with crayon, fingerpainting, or creating a collage, they will be using their hands to hold their implements, operate their scissors… and well you get the idea. The skills they learn during art time will, then, help them to tie their shoelaces, use their knives and forks, and so much more besides.
Boost self-esteem
Creating art is a very subjective thing, which means there is no right and wrong way to do it and no right or wrong result at the end of the practice. This means, allowing your children to create art can be a really good way to boost their self-esteem. They’ll learn new skills, create pieces that are meaningful to them, even if they don’t look like much to you, and feel proud of the art they achieve, which is always going to be great for their self-confidence.
Self-expression
Of course, allowing your children to practice making art is also a good way to help them express themselves in any way they feel necessary. Their feelings will naturally spill out into the art they produce for one thing, and for another, when they think about what they want their art to be, they will be thinking about the kind of person they are, what appeals to them, and all of that good stuff.
Boost memory and visual processing
Drawing, painting, throwing pottery; they can all help to develop and improve spatial skills in young children by forcing them to get analytical about the things they see and to use that visual information for a purpose.
Not only that but creating art can help to improve the brain’s executive function, which can boost memory and you know that will be useful when you’re trying to teach them driver subjects like Math!
Making art is so good for kids that you should build it into your daily schedule.
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