Sentry Page Protection
Student Login 
Member Login
Welcome, (First Name)!
Enter Member Area
The Importance of Art
Art promotes physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth in children. Physical growth is promoted through the movements involved in painting, coloring, drawing, scribbling, and playing with clay. All these motions improve fine motor skills. Art activities foster motor and hand-eye coordination. In turn, these skills promote growth in other areas.
Social growth is promoted by art. Children learn responsibility. They learn that they must put their work in a safe storage space when they are finished. Learning to work and share with others is stressed. In many programs, several children will share one container of paint or a box of crayons. They learn to respect the property of others. They also learn to value the work and ideas of others.
Art experiences also promote emotional growth. Through a creative activity, children are allowed to express emotions. For example, pounding at the woodworking bench, hitting play dough, or scribbling with crayons allows angry children to express their frustrations in an acceptable way. Children also have the chance to choose their own activity. For instance, during a painting session children decide what they will paint. Their choices—a pet, a friend, or a flower—are often expressions of their feelings. Through art, they learn to communicate feelings nonverbally.
Finally, the children’s cognitive growth is promoted by exploring, experimenting, and problem solving with many materials and tools. Through this process they use the skills of an investigative scientist. They learn important concepts such as color, size, texture, and shape. By manipulating and controlling tools, skills such as drawing and cutting are learned. They learn that cutting takes things apart while taping and stringing helps put materials together. Visual and tactile skills (skills related to sight and touch) are also developed. For example, rolling, rubbing, pounding, and tearing can change how an object looks and feels.
Art promotes physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth in children. Physical growth is promoted through the movements involved in painting, coloring, drawing, scribbling, and playing with clay. All these motions improve fine motor skills. Art activities foster motor and hand-eye coordination. In turn, these skills promote growth in other areas.
Social growth is promoted by art. Children learn responsibility. They learn that they must put their work in a safe storage space when they are finished. Learning to work and share with others is stressed. In many programs, several children will share one container of paint or a box of crayons. They learn to respect the property of others. They also learn to value the work and ideas of others.
Art experiences also promote emotional growth. Through a creative activity, children are allowed to express emotions. For example, pounding at the woodworking bench, hitting play dough, or scribbling with crayons allows angry children to express their frustrations in an acceptable way. Children also have the chance to choose their own activity. For instance, during a painting session children decide what they will paint. Their choices—a pet, a friend, or a flower—are often expressions of their feelings. Through art, they learn to communicate feelings nonverbally.
Finally, the children’s cognitive growth is promoted by exploring, experimenting, and problem solving with many materials and tools. Through this process they use the skills of an investigative scientist. They learn important concepts such as color, size, texture, and shape. By manipulating and controlling tools, skills such as drawing and cutting are learned. They learn that cutting takes things apart while taping and stringing helps put materials together. Visual and tactile skills (skills related to sight and touch) are also developed. For example, rolling, rubbing, pounding, and tearing can change how an object looks and feels.
The course does not "save" your progress. Use the checklist provided to track your progress, and click on the link in the menu to return to where you left off in the training.
