{"id":10756,"date":"2022-11-28T14:21:09","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T19:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sparketh.com\/?p=10756"},"modified":"2022-10-18T17:06:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T21:06:11","slug":"students-need-art-here-are-10-reasons-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sparketh.com\/students-need-art-here-are-10-reasons-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Students Need Art: Here are 10 Reasons Why"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think about the most important subjects<\/strong> for children to learn, what immediately comes to mind?\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

If you are like many parents (or teachers), your brain probably immediately goes to the “cornerstone” academics: literacy, math, grammar.\u00a0 Then you might think of history or science. <\/span>And subjects like art (and music and drama) probably come last, right?\u00a0 <\/span>Even if you love the arts, it’s just easy to fall into thinking of them as \u201cextracurricular,\u201d activities. This <\/span>carries the unspoken implication that they are \u201cextra,\u201d or not totally necessary– the symbolic icing on the cake. <\/span><\/p>\n

Today, I’m here to argue with that mentality. The truth is that students need art, and they need art education<\/strong><\/em>. Studying art provides unique benefits that more traditional subjects sometimes can’t provide. In today’s post, I’m sharing some of the reasons that students desperately need more art in their lives, and the things that art education can do for them: academically, developmentally and emotionally.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Sparketh<\/a>, we’re passionate about making arts education affordable and virtually available to kids everywhere, whether they are homeschoolers, private or remote schoolers, or public schoolers in search of additional artistic support.\u00a0 We aren’t just passionate about art for art’s sake, either. We love art because of the positive impact it can make in the lives of kids and teens. In the busy rhythm of their day-to-day activities, kids and teens are often missing this critical piece of their education, and that’s a gap we want to help fill.<\/p>\n

Bottom line? Students need art. Here are 10 reasons why.<\/p>\n

1.Drawing\u00a0 Helps You See Things Differently\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

When you engage in art, particularly drawing, you experience a shift in perspective. This can be especially true when you are looking at something and carefully trying to recreate a drawing of it. When you study an object to recreate it with art, your brain is forced to make new observations about everyday shapes and objects that it might not have paid attention to before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a pencil in hand and some motivation to focus, your brain is forced to find new ways to perceive something familiar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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This is actually a wonderful practice for anyone (especially children and teens) for several reasons.<\/strong> For one thing, this shift in perspective can be very calming (more about that later). It also hones observational skills, which children are in the process of developing. <\/span>The <\/span>practice of learning to view familiar things in a different way can help develop more open-minded ways of thinking. For example, if you are trying to draw a vase that’s been sitting in your living room at home for so long that you never really stopped to look at it closely before, you may suddenly notice all kinds of interesting colors and textures.\u00a0 With regular art practice, students start to look the world around them with more curiosity, observation and understanding than before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hemisphere Switch:<\/h3>\n

A very well-known researcher and author, Dr. Betty Edwards, proposes that this perspective shift in drawing increases communication between both hemispheres of the brain. In her book, <\/span>Drawing with the Right Side of the Brain<\/span><\/i><\/a>, she describes how learning to draw teaches the brain to quickly make a mental shift between L-mode (left brain mode which is rational) and R-mode (right brain mode which is intuitive). (You can check out her <\/span>website<\/span><\/a> to read more about it.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing how something as simple as the practice of drawing may make such an impact on a child\u2019s perception of the world around him\/her. <\/span>If you are thinking about signing up your child for <\/span>online art courses<\/span><\/a> via <\/span>Sparketh<\/span><\/a>, there are many drawing classes to choose from that can help build drawing skills (as well as the skills I\u2019ve mentioned). I\u2019d specifically suggest some courses that focus on perceiving and drawing everyday objects or scenes (<\/span>there are several here to choose from<\/span><\/a>!)<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Art Helps with Anxiety\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Art can be a great coping mechanism for stress and anxiety. While this is true regardless of age, art is thought to be particularly helpful for anxious children and teens.\u00a0 In fact, a<\/span>rt therapy is a very popular method for helping children and teens cope with mental and emotional health challenges.<\/p>\n

One reason is that art can be an effective outlet for letting out anxiety and negative emotions. <\/span>Often, children and teens may not know exactly what is bothering them, let alone how to express it verbally. Art gives them a way to get frustration out, and the process may also help them (as well as those who care about them)\u00a0 understand what’s going on inside.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another reason that art can be helpful for anxiety is the perspective shift discussed in point #1. Creating something can be a great way to get out of a funk and focus on something external, productive, and within our control. It’s kind of like meditation that way!<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Art Teaches History in An Immersive Way.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

We can learn a lot about particular time periods, events and historical figures through studying art.\u00a0<\/span>Portraits offer a lot of insight into the values of a specific time and place, as does the study of the most prominent art style of a particular time. (In fact, we have a whole article on that here<\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout history, trends in art also reflect trends in thinking<\/em>. Furthermore, just as historical movements often demonstrate opposite reactions in thinking, so do art styles. This is a concept that students usually don\u2019t learn about until high school or college, but they can easily see<\/em> and learn it at a younger age through art education.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878), Mary Cassatt<\/h6>\n

If you’re interested in using art to help your child get some hands-on support with history, this unique <\/span>online art track<\/span><\/a> was developed to teach students all about 10 different portrait styles while also exploring the history behind them. It\u2019s a great way to bring some life and creativity into your child\u2019s study of history, (or some history into your child\u2019s study of art!)<\/span><\/p>\n

4.The Creative Process Builds Decision-Making Skills\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

The ability to think creativity and critically is a valuable life skill, and it’s one that art helps to build. The process of creating art is all about making decisions, such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n