The impact of art on child development is big, yes, really very big. It does not just aid in physical and mental development, but also aids in proper expression of feelings, thoughts, opinions, etc.

The drawings and paintings below have been done by my 4 -year old daughter. I let her try different kinds of colors, painting tools and objects to paint on. The one with crayons is her own perception of a princess. Beside the princess is Sonic who is one of her favorite cartoon characters. She is amazed by his speed and cuteness.

As for the painted pug this is something we got for her from a toy shop long back. The color is washable, so a lot of washing and recoloring happens. She keeps trying different colors on the pug and uses brushes and fingers to paint it.

The finger painting happened when she was trying to mix different colors and just spreading them in circles on the paper. The end result looked quite pretty to me and I decided to click a picture.

If you ask me about the mess, yes it happens, a lot of it. I taught her to clean up small messes by cleaning up in her presence and requesting to help me a little bit with the task. She takes it up as a responsibility that gives her more power and loves to help most of the time.

Benefits of Art

Art helps children engage in exploration and experimentation. They are not just fun, they help the child develop physically and mentally, and also help them learn. For instance, grasping colors and brushes aid in development of fine motor skills and muscles. When my child tries various color combinations, mixes colors and tries different tools for painting I know that her cognitive skills are developing too. She is exploring patterns, reasons, planning her artwork, using her creativity, etc.

When she started off, her drawings were always too big enough to fit in the paper. I tried drawing the same image for her in scale with the paper size and she started thinking more carefully before she started her artworks henceforth. It took several trials for her to get it, but the best thing about kids is that they never give up. As parents, teachers and caretakers we should encourage them to take initiative and never give up. Take care not to make fun of their efforts or shame them. Join in the fun and learning process by imitating their drawings and helping them improve at their own pace.

Oral and Behavioral Skills

Get them to describe their artwork. This will help in developing their language skills and might also bring out hidden emotions and thoughts in them. Art therapy is a technique that is widely used to counsel and help children manage anxiety, trauma, stress, self-esteem, etc.

Sit down with them while they paint and draw. Let them do the planning and decide what they want to draw or paint. Let them explore with colors, paints, coloring/ painting tools, papers, surfaces, objects, textures, etc. Support them in their activities, but let them take the lead. Do not correct them when they do something that you have never done before. Maybe they have a new perspective/ idea. Encourage the effort they are putting in and try not to spend too much time praising or criticizing the end product. This will get them to explore/express freely without thinking what others might be thinking. Also, let them explore, innovate and have fun in the process.

Read our post on how parents can help children build and maintain emotional well-being as they grow.

Happy parenting!

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References

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_art_of_creating_why_art_is_important_for_early_childhood_development