As a parent, you know that children are naturally curious, drawn to everything around them and constantly learning from their environment. Adding free online art lessons to their world helps you direct their free time and satisfies their ever-increasing curiosity. Creative time like this is an essential part of your child’s overall development, and gives you a way to provide entertaining activities that educate your child. Today Golden Road Arts reviews more about the importance of creative time for children.
Why Creative Time Is Important for Children
How is unstructured creative time important to today’s kids? In this modern age, the focus in education zeros in on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). As a result, the arts can be seen as a minor part of a child’s growth and learning. However, making things with one’s hands, and art challenges and prompts inspire creativity—all vital to child development in many ways.
Creative Time Develops Kids Physically
When we think about a child’s need for movement, the first thing that comes to mind is probably sports or physical education (PE). But creative time can help children develop both fine and gross motor skills. Younger children gain abilities related to motion and focused activity.
Using a pencil, crayon, brush (and so on) to make pictures or form letters requires hand-eye coordination, which grows more easily in creative settings. Kids learn almost imperceptibly to teach their body to follow commands like holding something steady, to make synchronized hand movements, to draw lines and circles and more. These abilities affect their gross motor skills, all contributing to a child’s physical development.
Art & Creativity Enhances Kids’ Emotional Intelligence & Social Skills
Parents rightfully focus on child behavior, yet it is a symptom of what’s happening internally. Emotional intelligence (EQ) helps children understand, express and manage their emotions, as well as learn how to engage with the emotions of others. Through its various types, art has been shown to help children do this in healthy ways without fear or apprehension.
These “soft skills” help children interact with people around them. This is a part of art’s social element and teaches kids to work well together to accomplish projects. They learn negotiation, compromise and encouragement. Creativity is key to helping a child regulate their emotions and engage with others effectively.
Education Is a Creative Process
Some see art as a mere side component of education, but it’s an important part of child cognitive development. Creativity itself is problem-solving, and much of a child’s formal education demands this skill. Educators have seen why kids need art, saying it helps them gain confidence, increases their willingness to learn, to try new things, and answer questions without fear.
Part of learning is continuing on after one makes mistakes—something bound to happen when learning just about anything. Creative art time helps children learn how to reframe, rearrange or restart to gain better outcomes in these situations.
Art is a key that unlocks great potential in children. It influences their lives holistically. Unstructured creative time through art is accessible and helps children from preschool through adolescence.
Access Free Online Art Lessons for Kids’ Creative Time
Now that you’ve learned more about the importance of creative time for children, you may be eager to get your child started. Golden Road Arts provides free online art lessons for families and educators; there’s no need to do this alone. Access our art lesson library, or you can donate to support these free resources.
