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Children today spend more time with screens. Technology and the internet have become deeply engraved in their routines. While these offer their fair share of benefits, it’s essential for children to engage in activities that promote their neurological development.
This is where the arts come in. Art in child development may play a consequential role, but this is often disregarded or not taken seriously.
With the arts getting a bad reputation among the adult population, most children are discouraged from participating in anything related to them. Compared to sciences and mathematics, the arts aren’t allowed much attention, especially for parents who want what’s best for their children—a pretty unfair logic to believe in. However, despite these claims and beliefs, art has proven valuable to children’s growth.
What Is the Effect of Art on Children?
Research has shown that the arts, no matter how minuscule they may seem, have a significantly positive impact on life. This doesn’t revolve around how they beautify the world or are utilized as a primary means of emotional expression. Instead, art plays a consequential role in shaping people.
Art in child development sparks the initial movement of their cognitive buildout. The more they utilize their brains for creativity, the more they develop cognitively and critically. This is why the academe has already incorporated the arts into its curriculum as early as primary school—it is a fun way to mold children’s cognition without essentially intimidating or boring them.
The arts are fun, but they also contribute to multiple facets of children’s growth. From building their self-esteem to providing a channel for them to communicate their feelings and thoughts, indeed, art is as crucial as any other “essential” or technical skill. Hence, it’s imperative that children are introduced to it through many channels, one of which is literature.
The Significant Presence of Art in Literature
Art is ever-present in literature, whether through coloring books or the creative illustrations in storybooks. This supports the value of art in child development and growth and presents how deeply interwoven it is in society.
Chris Cochrane is among the countless authors who have constantly incorporated illustrations in their publications. This move entices his readers and contributes to their development.
Like literature, the arts also contribute to children’s learning and perception of the world. By combining both, children are aided in developing a better and more optimistic grasp of what surrounds them. Illustrations in books provide cues that help readers comprehend stories. Hence, while they may primarily appeal to aesthetics, the arts also have underlying benefits, especially to growth.
Like most children’s books, The Dinglehopper Blueberry Belly-Button Snooter is a book full of vibrant artwork by Cochrane. This element not only helps present his book better but also helps children easily understand his message. Art in early childhood education may initially be limited to scribbling or looking at drawings, but this process already contributes massively to children’s development.
The Role of Art in Child Development
Studies have proven that creative activities affect children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. These are essential facets to look into, especially during early childhood, which is a crucial stage in development. During this period, what the child experiences will have a lasting impact on their success. Hence, even when adults may deem the arts useless to them, they should still be explored, given their countless benefits.
What are the roles of art in child development?
Brain Development
Creative activities involve a wide range of activities that spark various parts of the brain, thus sharpening different competencies in children. From spatial processes to creativity and critical thinking, engaging in the arts doesn’t only make people more creative and imaginative. It also sharpens their overall brain capacity. Art in child development doesn’t only make children more artsy. Instead, it makes them sharper in different facets of life.
Cognitive Development
Without a doubt, the most significant contribution of art in child development revolves around cognition. For instance, drawing helps children develop spatial and visual processing. This helps children interpret information and make decisions better from these stimuli, as these are skills essential for the routines children practice. Other forms of art besides drawing or painting also contribute to such development by stimulating their equivalent regions in the brain.
Overall, exposure to the arts helps children improve their language skills and spatial reasoning.
Social Development
Art may be practiced alone, but it can still be shared with others, thus promoting social development as early as childhood. Through their creative endeavors, children can participate in activities that develop their social skills, such as communication, empathy, and cooperation. In line with this, art in child development also provides opportunities for them to learn better control over their emotional expression.
Emotional Development
Art is one of the most effective outlets for children to express their feelings and thoughts healthily without judgment. Hence, this impacts their emotional development in early childhood, as well. This is especially beneficial to children with a lot of emotional turmoil or burdens to carry. Different forms of art provide a safe outlet for these troubles.
Given everything the arts contribute to children’s growth, it’s imperative that parents foster a love and appreciation of the arts in children. This can be achieved by incorporating creativity and imagination into their routines and exposing them to artistic materials. If you’re looking for an excellent and creative book for your toddlers, grab a copy of Chris Cochrane’s materials now!
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Glad to see someone talking about the role of art in a child’s development. This was a great read!
I agree with you Reginald!
Nice. Really helped me realize the importance of art in child development!