Ask people who their favorite artists are — those who create music, dance, drama, paintings and drawings — and the answers will likely come from the roster of artistic greats: Picasso, Georgia O’Keefe, Mikhail Barishnikov, Ella Fitzgerald, Mozart. Yet is there a parent out there that hasn’t proudly displayed colorful finger paintings or clapped with glee over an impromptu performance of Swan Lake in the family living room done by none other than their own brilliantly artistic kids?

Learning life skills through art

Despite the high status we often lend to famous artists, creativity in the arts is something that everyone has the potential to achieve. And lucky are the individuals whose budding attempts at artistic expression are nurtured and allowed to grow into strong creative thinking abilities that last a lifetime.

Recent research has added an exciting twist to what we know about children’s brain development: though the first four years have long been touted as the time for making important brain connections, we now understand that this type of development continues on through adolescence. For this reason, the experiences and information children are exposed to, particularly during the elementary years, need to be as stimulating and meaningful as possible.

The arts are wonderful for providing such stimulation. When children whisk a marker back and forth across a big sheet of blank paper, push and pound a lump of clay or cut with scissors, their brains are growing. Every time they move to a rousing Sousa march, dance or act out a scene from a favorite book with friends or listen to a favorite piece of music, their senses send signals to the brain about how things work, how to work together and what feels good.

Creative people invent, imagine, problem-solve and communicate in unique ways. These are skills that help us make new friends, learn about topics that interest us and become successful adults.

The arts also nurture the types of skills needed in today’s workforce. Virtually all businesses and professions, from nursing and science to management and sales, require the ability to "think outside of the box."

And it all begins in the early years. When children share art supplies and dress-up clothes for pretend play, design and paint a mural or play in a school band, they are learning to work as part of a team toward a common goal.

What the arts look like during the elementary years

Dance, music, theater and the visual arts all play a very important part in the elementary classroom curriculum. Here is a look at how the arts may be woven into your children’s school day:

Kindergarten:
The focus of the arts curriculum in the early elementary years is on enjoyment and self-expression. In the average kindergarten classroom you are likely to find children singing, dancing or playing rhythm instruments or listening to a variety of music. Children use puppets, play dress up, put on plays and may watch performances by other classes or professional artists. They have lots of opportunity to experiment with art materials like paints, crayons, pencils, markers and clay. Children will also be learning the foundations of language and reading as they create poems, songs, stories and plays that may be written down, collected into classroom books or performed.

First and second grade:
During first and second grade, the arts continue to be used to help children develop their self-confidence and strengthen communication skills, as well as for pleasure. During these years, children’s drawings and paintings will likely become more detailed and colorful as they gain better control of art tools and their hand-eye coordination improves.

As the curriculum becomes more formalized, opportunities for artistic expression will be woven into units of study, with children making up songs, creating colorful collages or designing their own instruments. In-school performances and field trips to museums, art exhibitions or musical and dance performances will likely be built into the school year to provide exposure to a variety of artists and performers.

Third through fifth grade:
In the upper elementary grades, the arts remain important for strengthening children’s confidence and communication skills. This is the time when choral singing and instruments are traditionally introduced. At this point, the arts are fully integrated into the curriculum. For example, children may read biographies of musicians, dancers and painters as part of their language arts work. They may compare traditional folk and contemporary songs as part of their American history studies. Or they may stage a play as a culmination of their elementary experience.

For permission to reprint this article, please contact the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service by e-mailing dbushsuf@gw.neric.org.

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