The importance of teaching art to children

How art enables imagination and life skills.

A popular scene from Taare Zameen Par shows an 8-year-old Ishaan creating an out of the world painting straight from his imagination.

If there is something children excel at is their ability to imagine and create their own world. Art is one of the best ways to enable imagination.

But, how can art impact you?

• Motor skills-As children hold a paintbrush, their fine motor skills improve which they will need for writing later on.

• Math- By counting pieces and colors, they learn the basics of math. Mixing colors or using two paintbrushes together helps them understand how to combine things.

• Science-When children experiment with materials, they dabble in science. They observe the patterns and colors around them and then put it on paper.

• Self-confidence- Most important perhaps, when children feel good while they are creating, art helps boost self-confidence.

• Problem-solving- Children who feel able to experiment and to make mistakes feel free to invent new ways of thinking, which extends well beyond the craft room.

• Self-awareness- They are able to express things via art which they cannot express verbally.

This is great! How can I engage a child in art?

1. Let it flow- The best thing about art is that children have a natural inclination towards this. All you need to do is given them a set of colors and paper. Let their fingers play and imagination to run wild!

   

2. Visualization- Read aloud a story to them and ask them to imagine the story like a movie. As soon as the story is over, ask them to draw whatever they imagined.

   

3. Guiding images- A great way to nurture imagination is to show vivid images to a child. For example for a house show them futuristic house ideas and then encourage them to draw a house.

   

4. Explore materials- Ask a child to feel patterns and how different surfaces feel. Then ask them to paint what comes to their minds after exploring this.

   “A child’s imagination can change a twig into a magic wand or a cardboard tube into a telescope”

5. Art activities- If a child wants some directions. Here are some fun ways to engage them while encouraging imagination.

How can I talk about art?

1. Be curious- Instead of saying “wow! this looks good”, try saying “I love how you filled in each section by drawing up and down.” or asking “ I see you used a lot of purple, can you tell me why?”

   

2. Don’t give directions- Avoid telling the child to draw a house or rainbow, let them tap into their instincts, and paint what comes to their mind. If there is a need to supervise, you can use words like this: “The paintbrush goes on the paper, not in the mouth.”

Art integrates the mind, body, and heart of a child. It fuels imagination and equips children with life skills. Let’s nurture imagination in children through art.