Arts & Crafts for Kids – Why is art important for Preschoolers July 13
One of the biggest reasons that art is important for your preschooler is that it assists in the building of healthy self-esteem. In the early preschool years, your child is in a stage of psychological development that focuses greatly on learning to take pride in him or her self. This means that it’s a critical time for development of self-esteem by doing things that he or she can be proud of. When your preschooler is engaged in a focused art activity which he or she completes, resulting in a product that you express pride in (the picture that you hang on the refrigerator, the cardboard sculpture that you display on your coffee table), you’re setting the foundation of your child’s good self-esteem. But the result isn’t all that’s important, meaning that it’s not just the creation of art projects that matters. The entire process of creating art is important because it stimulates the creativity and encourages imagination in a way that will influence your child for the rest of his or her life. So, some of the art that your preschooler enjoys should be creative art that doesn’t necessarily result in a lasting product. Playing with clay is one example of this type of art. When you support this kind of art for your preschooler, you teach him or her about the joy of simply playing with imagination and enjoying the act of creation. In addition to the psycho-social benefits of art, art is important for preschoolers because it assists in building important motor skills and improves overall learning. Art activities like cutting with kid scissors and learning to control crayons all assist in improving your preschooler’s motor skills. In addition to this, children have different learning style and art allows them to explore those different styles. If you pay attention, you might find that your child is more of a visual learner (focusing on image-based art when given free choice) or more of a kinesthetic learner (using tactile art like playing with clay). This knowledge will help you to help him or her with subjects in the future and playing with art will help develop the learning areas that your preschooler might be naturally less inclined towards. |
| So, yes, art is great for your kids simply because it’s a fun way to pass the time. But engaging in regular arts and crafts is something that is good for preschoolers on many other levels as well. Don’t over think it – you don’t want to take the joy out of it, after all. But recognize the importance of it and support art in your child’s life as much as you possibly can. You’ll be rewarded with small art projects along the way and a lifetime of joy with your creative child. |
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