essay 3 english 301-1

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Apr 3, 2024

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Scarlett Rodgers English 301 Children Should Do Art for Their Development (word count: 981) What if humans were able to communicate without language barriers, but simply a way to express ourselves to the world? Amazingly, we do. Art is a universal language with the ability to connect from artistic interpretations. It defies the cultural and social barriers of communication allowing us to grasp and appreciate the world around us. When we are children, our first experiences with language stem from art. Early on, children learn to convey their thoughts through the arts and has even been referred as “children’s first language.” Art is not just an aesthetic practice but is an opportunity to strengthen a child’s development. By implementing fine art activities into a child’s life, both sides of their brain are stimulated improving their development. Children benefit from participating in artistic activities as it builds their neural development, motor skills, and self-esteem. Art enriches cognitive function for neural development and supports the overall wellbeing of children’s future. Neural development refers to the intellectual functioning of the brain like reading comprehension, memory, attention, and focus. Fine arts encourages healthy child development, enhancing neural connections in their brains to work on their memory and attention. When children first start drawing, they become familiar with scribbling. This acts as a visual attentional stimuli and is a step towards learning how to write. (Susan Rich Sheridan, 2009) During activities like clay sculpting, drawing and crafts they get to explore their five senses. Each of our basic sense, sight, touch, smell, sound, and sight help us navigate the world. During the art making process, their touch, smell, and sight are stimulated allowing them to learn new forms of information. On top of exercising their senses, Fine arts engagement nourishes

their perspective on life while producing brain wave patterns that raise serotonin levels. (Renee Phillips, The Healing Power of Art, 2020) Art gives children the outlet to express themselves, while strengthening their brain development. Creating art isn’t the only way to benefit, but experiencing art can enhance brain function as well. Viewing art has a positive effect on the wellbeing of children by providing a feeling of fulfillment and especially has an influence on their neural development. Fine art activities give children the opportunity to work on their fine-motor skills. These skills are responsible for the ability to utilize movements in the hands or wrist. Tactile processing is an important motor skill of how bodies interpret details from our sense of touch. It’s fundamental to give children sensory tactile activities since it provides the opportunity to work with their hands. (Tree Passion, 2021) By drawing, children exercise their muscles in their shoulders, arms, and hand, preparing them for writing in the future. Between kindergarten and third grade, children build hand-eye coordination through artistic activities in the classroom. Art for motor development is especially important post-pandemic as children lack exposure to handwriting and proper hand grip due to increased screen-time. This raises concerns for educators seeing children aged five and up unable to properly use scissors, struggling with holding their pencil properly, and overall weakness in the hands. (The Inspired Treehouse 2022) Although, art may seem like just an extra-curricular activity, the techniques used in children’s artwork benefits them beyond just their ability to complete artistic tasks. These core skills are then transferred to daily tasks that require coordinated movements. Arts education improves children’s self-esteem. Self-esteem is important as it’s the foundation for success. It affects our environment like our relationships, emotional health, and problem-solving skills. Engaging in artistic activities builds communication of following

instructions or even working on group projects. (American Heritage Schools 2018) Self- expression allows children to find themselves and impacts how they engage in their academics. Children feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when they compete their art projects, allowing them to self-reflect on their artistic process. Having a higher self-esteem can enhance their academic performance. Americans for the Arts conducted a study that shows that the more a child engages in art, the more likely they are to be recognized for academic achievement. Those younger students who participated in art activities in both the classroom and at home, were more likely to participate in science fairs, win attendance awards, and even get elected for class office. (AFTA, 2015) The researchers also found that the children who engaged in fine art activities had a significantly higher level of self-esteem than those who do not participate as often. Fine art is much more than just producing something visual but opens the door for children to work on themselves and develop a sense of who they are. Not every child has a natural interest for art and may find art overwhelming rather than beneficial. If a child has issues with sensory processing, they may dislike the process of creating art. Children’s tolerance of sensations is dependent on the activity. textures, colors, patterns can overstimulate a child, affecting their perspective on art. (Beyond Therapy 2019) These children could show a resistance towards the arts and express their disinterest. This disinterest can discourage them from creative works as a whole. It is completely normal for children to feel indifferent towards the arts. Every child is unique in what they like, and we cannot force them to enjoy certain activities; however, we can offer activities that include subjects these children enjoy and guide them through the process. For example, if the child likes dinosaurs but stays away from art, an activity combining both can encourage them to join. All children should be encouraged to participate despite their artistic

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ability to improve their overall neural development, motor skills and self-esteem. In order to inspire them to participate, it is vital to recognize that everyone’s learning style is different, one child may prefer working with a peer, while another prefers alone time, To ensure that art is effective in children’s development, they must feel supported and given different options to explore their artistic side.

Work Cited: Sheridan, S. R. (2009). Saving Literacy: How Marks Change Minds. A Guide for Professional Caregivers. ERIC ED. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED514424 Phillips, R. (2020). Art Enhances Brain Function and Well-Being . https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/art-and-the-brain/ Drobnjak, L. (2022). The Pandemic and Child Development: The Lingering Effects. The Inspired Treehouse . https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/pandemic-and-child-development-the lingering-effects/ Jesline. (2019) The Child Who Doesn’t Like Art . HeadStart for Life. https://www.headstartforlife.com.sg/beyondtherapy/schoolreadinessprogramme/the-child-who- doesnt-like-art/ The Arts in Early Childhood: Social and Emotional Benefits of Arts Participation . (2015). Americans for the Arts. https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-anddata/legislation-policy/naappd/the arts-in-early-childhood-social-and-emotional benefits-of-arts-participation

essay 3 english 301-1

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