Art education develops motor skills

The motions and techniques used in creating art require fine-tuned motor skills. The swirling of a paintbrush, the coloring between small lines, and erasing small details of a drawing all require unique attention to detail and steady hand movements. Creating art helps the child develop and hone their motor skills in a fun and engaging way.

Drawing shapes and cutting out objects improves overall dexterity. When the child develops better dexterity, their handwriting improves, they can draw more complex lines, and they become more precise in their drawings and paintings.

Art strengthens critical thinking and decision-making skills

There is an inherent form of decision making in art that isn’t present in other subjects your child will experience. Every brush stroke they make has a decision behind it. Why did they choose yellow? Why did they make one object larger than the others? Your child makes these decisions in a split second.

Throughout your child’s art education they will be assigned pieces that have a theme. Your child may be tasked with painting a picture to highlight the importance of recycling and earth day or draw a cell for science class. Your child will use their critical thinking skills to apply visuals that convey a message, rather than just words. They will have to fully understand the subject matter to effectively relate their images to the theme.

Visual learning benefits children outside of the art world

Sculpting, drawing, and fitting shapes together develop spatial-awareness skills that are important for your child. In a world riddled with symbolism and visual imagery, your children will be exposed to visual information that will be able to interpret, comprehend, and make choices based off the context. Today, young children are already using tablet and smartphone games to learn. Children are taking in visual information before they can fully read.