Years of scientific research have shown that creative activities are some of the most fundamental building blocks of a child’s development. Through the exposure to arts and music, children are taught new skills that can attribute to their success as they grow and mature. So how can these be the programs affected the most due to budget cuts in our educational system? The problem is that the focus has now shifted more towards common core subjects of reading and math and the arts has began to be considered as a luxury.
To create a visual sensation, there must be a strong connection between one’s mind, hands and eyes. Learning how to hold a paintbrush and navigating through a piece of paper with a crayon help develop these fine motor skills in children at a young age. Drawing and sculpting also enhance the child’s spatial recognition skills. Children take in visual information far before they can read and speak, and drawing can be a huge advocate in that style of communication.
Research also shows that exposure to the arts strengthens problem-solving and creative thinking skills. As you create, you are forced to make decision on composition, color, texture and many others. These subtle queues strengthen the brains ability to make decisions, which can then apply to other aspects of life. All of these benefits also contribute to the overall academic success of the child.
Even with all of this proven research, how can we deprive children of a curriculum that is so essential to their development? Unfortunately, the ones that are affected the most are those in low income neighborhoods, and they are perhaps the ones that need it even more. The common core subjects need to be given heavier importance, however we cannot eliminate the arts due to the fact that there is not enough funding. True innovation comes from creative thinking without boundaries, so how can we as a society stand around and watch as these programs become scarcer in our educational system?
