The importance of art in a child’s early learning

Art is not only a hobby, but an essential part of a child’s early education.

Kids like to paint, draw and scribble! Half the time they don’t give any thought to what they are actually drawing, does this matter?

No, because they are just having fun, being creative and learning new skills!

So, let them finger-paint, scribble with pencils and crayons, sprinkle the glitter and smear paint all over the paper. They enjoy it!

While it may just look like kids are just making a mess left for you to clean up, they are actually learning. They are developing new skills, while…

Counting the pieces of torn up paper, learning and discovering new colours, joining new materials together and boosting their confidence by feeling good about what they have created!

Three ways art helps a child learn:

• Mental development: creative activities let children learn new things in their own fun way. Children can learn shapes, colours, textures, basic numeracy and measurements through art. Another great way for teaching children is to ask them questions about what they have created, so they can also develop their language skills. Ask them about the shapes and colours they have used.
• Physical development: art can increase a child’s fine motor skills as they can learn how to cut and tear paper, hold a paintbrush and also how to correctly hold pencils. Children can learn many important developmental skills through art.
• Creative development: art increases a child’s capacity to think and allows them to draw and create anything they want. They get to experiment with new materials, colours and objects. Art allows them to make their own decisions!

Art is crucial for all these developmental areas, plus it allows them to express themselves freely. Creativity forms new connections and develops the right side of the brain, which is important for a child as they grow.

Art builds and promotes:

• Creativity
• Neural connections
• Writing
• Fine motor skills
• Problem-solving
• Self-exploration

Overall, art is a fun activity that allows children to collaborate together learning social skills and other important skills!

At My Cubby House Early Learning Centre, children have fun filled days creating art, taking part in physical activities, socialising with other children and learning new things. Our friendly educators work together to create rich learning opportunities that we offer to toddlers from six weeks old through to pre-prep at six years of age.

For more information on our childcare centre or for enquiries, please contact us on 07 5527 1679 or please click here.

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