Why studying art is vital for a child’s mental development – from fine motor skills to problem-solving and emotional expression, parents and teachers should inject colour into pupils’ educational journey
- Painting, drawing, cutting and printing can help to develop a child’s communication skills and cognitive abilities, and can even help build a sense of self
- Creative art is now a key curriculum cornerstone at Hong Kong International School, Canadian International School, Kellett, Carmel and ESF Tung Chung International Kindergarten
The seemingly simple act of drawing a picture with crayons or paint can benefit a child’s mental development as much as reading, mathematics and other aspects of their education that are often prioritised over art.
From the obvious benefits such as helping children practise their motor skills to the lesser-known pros such as nurturing their ability to solve problems, educators share how art can bring more than colour and joy to a child’s educational journey.
Improving motor skills
Getting children to pick and choose from an array of colours – whether crayons, colouring pencils, felt pens, chalks or paints – and then create something specific or based on their own imagination helps them hone their fine motor skills in a fun and creative way.
“It is important in early years to develop fine motor skills and cognitive development – this can be achieved creatively by printing, drawing, cutting, painting and controlling choices in materials and tools,” says Genevieve Spizzirri, the art curriculum leader for Kellett School’s Kowloon Bay Preparatory School.
“The development of fine motor skills is critical to later adult abilities. When a child holds a paintbrush, glues buttons onto paper, or uses scissors to cut pieces of paper, they are engaging and advancing these essential skills,” says Zoe Heggie, lower school vice principal for Early Years to Grade 1 at Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS).
At Hong Kong International School (HKIS), teachers encourage the children to be bolder with their choice of materials through creative lessons that go beyond common options such as paint and colouring pencils.
“Aside from building creativity and generating ideas, we encourage children to take risks with tools and materials. We do this by exposing children to interesting art-making processes and tools they may not be familiar with,” explains Kit Lang, art teacher at HKIS – Lower Primary. “Through this process of experimentation and discovery, children build fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities and learn new ways of overcoming challenges.” Lang shares an example of one lesson where children got to learn about the stained glass windows by a legendary architect before making their own version.
