Research conducted by Georgina Barton at Griffith University in Australia found that imaginative activities and artistic development often precede literacy. These activities are frequently the means by which young children learning themselves and the world around them.
The scholar points out that there’s an unfortunate scientific trend to minimize the importance of artistic activities when it comes to children’s growth. She further elucidates that over the past decade, more research has emerged to underscore the advantages of creative and artistic tasks, notably ‘for early learners which extend beyond the mere act of creating art for the pleasure of it’ – a ‘fun thing to do’.
Given the scientifically confirmed significance of artistic activities, the great joy young students find in creative learning, it’s worth examining how you can weave more creative activities into your child’s education.
Unleashing Your Child’s Creativity
Luckily, Kids Academy offers a plethora of resources to assist your child in their creative journey. The variety of coloring pages on the site spans from themes, subjects and places like the Statue of Liberty landscapes or lively seascapes and fairytale characters that will spark your child’s imagination and curiosity.
These coloring pages are downloadable, which makes it easy for you to print them off and integrate them into a learning task. The various themes offer an edutainment opportunity for homeschooling parents or even for those seeking to spend a rainy weekend with a learning session based on a specific theme. You could browse through the available worksheets and print out a selection featuring animals dwelling in the deep blue sea, then have your child color them. While they’re engaged in coloring and decorating, you can share engaging facts about the animals.
Lay several oversized sheets of paper on the floor and inspire your child to craft an under-the-sea collage using the worksheets as the focal point. Around the images of seahorses, octopuses, and turtles, you can provide an assortment of materials that mimic marine plants, wildlife, and coral reefs, and the shimmering ocean, and let your child create something magnificent. Once they’re done, you can hang their artwork in their bedroom or playroom, so it becomes a centerpiece in the house.
A Game That Combines Learning, Creativity, and Financial Literacy
Another resource from Kids Academy that promotes creative exploration is the ‘Dress Up Eddie’ online game within the learning app. The character Eddie the Elephant is intended as a hands-on instrument for enabling kids to enjoy their learning process while simultaneously acquiring valuable new skills.
This interactive tool lets kids dress the adorable character in any outfits they fancy, harnessing their creativity and imagination along the way. As the Eddie design process is woven into the child’s personal learning process and goals, it not only offers them an opportunity to be creative, but also equips them with valuable life skills through a token rewards system.
When learners successfully complete various activities the program rewards them with tokens (stars), which subsequently provide them with another chance to get creative with Eddie’s outfits. When they earn tokens (stars), they can use them in the virtual store to purchase new clothes for their elephant buddy. From this point, they can observe the results of their efforts and have a creative channel for their reward system. By having the freedom to choose any outfits they can also showcase their own design and style choices when dressing up the virtual character. Hence, Eddie can also serve as a useful instrument for self-discovery and investigation, as it aids kids to experiment with new things within a secure environment.
This captivating tool imparts vital real world skills to children and introduces the concept of earning and spending money, along with budgeting. It also encourages enthusiasm throughout the learning process and enhances learner engagement, besides allowing them to exercise their creativity. Understanding that completing certain activities earns them ‘money’ (rewards) helps young learners get a better sense of the ‘real’ world. They can see through the kids learning app that it’s important to work diligently and get rewards according to the effort they invest in their work.
The Impact of Artistic Activities on Children’s Development
Learning to paint bolsters physical development, helps children enhance their hand-eye coordination, and cultivates and hones their fine motor skills. It’s an excellent avenue for children of all ages to express themselves and shape their understanding of the world around them. Art offers a platform for children to convey themselves in ways they might find challenging to do otherwise by utilizing written or verbal communication.
Besides, they can reap additional advantages when engaging in creativity within a group context – in this setting, they can take on various roles in the art creation process, assist others, and distinguish their work from that of their peers.
Collaborative art projects provide kids with an opportunity to ask questions, explore, express themselves, and gain knowledge from their personal experiences and the experiences of others. Artistic expression also enhances cognitive growth by helping children experiment with various concepts and objects, and correlate them with different symbols and materials through the art making process.
Artistic activities also provide an ideal chance for young learners to ignite their imagination and experiment with various techniques, approaches, and materials. They’re able to associate their own behavior and that of others with the creative outcomes they observe materializing through the artistic process.
Art education also aids children in developing and applying problem-solving skills through experimenting with colors, patterns, engaging in teamwork, and determining which specific mediums work best.
Barton asserts that kids without access to arts-based learning risk receiving an education that isn’t holistic in learning; what some refer to as a deficit education.
The Role of Art in Stimulating the Right Side of the Brain
Art stimulates the right side of the brain, which, as discovered by American psychobiologist and Nobel Prize laureate Roger W. Sperry, is the visual and intuitive facet of our cerebral function. The right side and the left side of the brain process information in different ways. Sperry’s brain theory demonstrated that when activated, the right hemisphere processes things intuitively and concurrently, first looking at the overall picture before focusing on the specifics. This contrasts with left-brain thinking where, when activated, the individual processes information analytically and sequentially, in a detailed manner. This hemisphere concentrates on the specifics before broadening out to the bigger picture.
For kids who may be very logical and analytical (both of which are valuable skills), art activities and creative exercises can be an excellent method to stimulate the right hemisphere to ensure cognitive equilibrium and comprehensive thinking skills, which will assist them in life.
Artistic activities particularly effective for engaging the right brain hemisphere include color mixing games. This enables kids to use familiar materials, such as paint, in unfamiliar manners. Whether at home or in school, you can arrange some paints and let kids mix the different colors they’re attracted to, to formulate a completely new shade. They can then practice these new colors on the coloring pages you’ve downloaded and printed off.
Fostering Self-Expression
By encouraging your child to be creative and utilize the activities and materials provided, you’ll assist them in discovering new and beneficial methods to express themselves. All meaningful learning should focus on equipping students with practical tools and strategies that will contribute to their flourishing as they mature. By introducing artistic activities that stimulate creativity, you’re offering your young learner avenues for intuitive self-expression, while they’re learning about themselves, different cultures, and their surrounding environment.
Artistic learning is enjoyable, and there are numerous ways to engage in it with your child. Enjoy creating and thank you for reading!
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