Why is Art Important in Child Development?

20th October 2022

Art activities provide children the following benefits: 

  • Higher levels of creativity 
  • More willingness to try new things 
  • Critical thinking (better understanding of cause-effect relationships) 
  • Fine motor skills (grasping and using crayons and pencils) 
  • Math skills and spatial reasoning (size, comparison, counting) 
  • Better self-expression and development of individuality 

Through art, children can better express themselves and their own unique identity. With a creative outlet, children can better develop an awareness of themselves, their connection and interaction with others and their role in what’s happening around them. It’s like through art, they have the time and opportunity to think and reflect. 

Why art activities are important 

Art activities are also a great way to process the information they have gained and consolidate what they’ve learned so far. Even if it’s just drawing random shapes and lines, in this practice they’re able to put together what they’ve known and seen. They are also starting to realise what happens when they put two lines or shapes together (and when they use and combine different colours and see what appears). 

As mentioned earlier, art activities help children develop fine motor skills. By using their hands and fingers to draw and paint, children are able to practice using the small muscles of their hands and improving their hand-eye coordination. They’re also able to practice better control of their hands as they use them to draw different shapes and figures. This fine motor control can help them better refine their handwriting skills. 

Art activities and education also help children practice their decision making skills. In each shape and line they draw, they have to constantly make choices on what to draw next. With this practice in making choices, children can better establish their independence and gradually reduce their reliance on their parents when it comes to everyday activities. 

In other words, art is a crucial component in holistic development, including the development of children’s creative, cognitive and physical abilities. Art activities also help children start thinking on their own, building their preferences and establishing their independence.