While art and literacy are usually taught as separate subjects, they lean on many of the same skills. When children take part in classroom art activities like drawing and painting, they’re practicing skills like control, description and sequencing that carry directly into reading and writing. As a result, children can develop these skills without adding extra reading lessons to their day. Here’s a closer look at how art can support reading and writing skills.
Art Builds Fine Motor Skills for Writing
Common art techniques like drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpting involve controlled hand movements. As children develop more advanced skills, they become adept at adjusting pressure and improving precision. These activities could help children improve handwriting, note-taking, labeling and written project work, as well as write for longer periods without hand fatigue.
Art Builds Vocabulary and Descriptive Language
Art is an important part of elementary education as it introduces children to new vocabulary based on color, texture, shape, technique and composition. Kids pick up both technical and descriptive words naturally, and as their art becomes more sophisticated they will need these words to discuss what they’ve created, and what they’ve noticed about the work of others.
Art Teaches Sequencing and Structure
Art projects often follow the same steps as telling a story. Students will need to plan out a concept, then break down the stages step-by-step. As a project progresses, there are usually opportunities to experiment while still working towards the overall goal. Older kids could even storyboard an essay using diagrams and text to help structure the idea.
Art Supports Reading Comprehension
Reading can be a great starting point for a piece of art. Stories give rich descriptions of characters, settings and events that can be turned into sketches, paintings or collages. In fact, Golden Road Arts and Hillsboro Library have put this into practice with Art in The Park events that encourage children to create art based on a story read aloud to them.
Simple Ways to Combine Art With Literacy
There are many art projects that support reading and writing skills throughout elementary and middle school education curricula. A fun children’s project is to design a comic book using a structured grid that combines drawing with storytelling. Another idea is to design a book cover based on a favorite short story. To form a positive habit you could also ask young students to write a short statement about every piece of art they create. With these types of projects, kids can benefit from creating art in ways that carry over into reading and writing.
Browse Art Lessons for Elementary and Middle School Kids
Golden Road Arts helps parents and teachers inspire creativity in children. Our free online art lessons give elementary and middle school students instructions for exploring new techniques and creating art at home or in the classroom. Call (503) 718-7097 or view our free art lessons.
