The Role of Art and Creative Thinking in Education
Most formal education curriculums around the world focus on teaching children how to analyze and retain information. But more and more, we are seeing schools start to incorporate creative thinking and practices as equally important factions of the education system – and the results are impressive.
Studies show that children who are actively taught creative expression tend to be more confident, tolerant, and open-minded individuals than those who are not. Providing children with the space to create their own can play a critical role in both their cognitive and emotional development.
Additionally, being educated on the history of art at a young age can produce more culturally aware children who connect with their own history as well as others. What other valuable traits does exposure to the arts offer the youngest members of our species?
Development Potential
One of the most popular arguments for exposing children to art and creative thinking at a young age is the long-term effect it seems to have on their personal development.
On a cognitive level, providing children with opportunities to exercise creative thinking can stimulate them into becoming problem-solving adults, and on an emotional level it opens up the door for them to understand their own feelings better and work through them with compassion and discernment. Expressive arts, like dance, painting, or creative writing can facilitate the development of a higher EQ which can benefit the child at any future stage of their life.
Additionally, regular creative play or exploration with the arts can accelerate the development of fine motor skills and improve attention to detail. The potential for how far a child can go with these useful and valuable tools in their belt is endless.
Intergenerational Empathy
With so much of current culture focusing either on the chaos of present-day affairs or a hazy dystopian future, children in the Western world are given few opportunities to connect on an emotional and intellectual level with their ancestors. Exposure to art from the past is one way to change that.
The wonder and awe that comes with observing historical art can be unlocked by making things like art, literature, and theatre history a notable part of the modern education curriculum. Learning about how, when, and why people of the past were driven to create can invoke a sense of empathy towards previous generations and foster connection to the past. It’s as exciting as when you play online bingo Australia too.
Cultural Awareness
Currently, we are seeing much bias and fear-mongering around cultures and ethnic groups that are different from our own. This divisive state of mind breeds closed-minded, intolerant people, but early (and consistent) exposure to arts and culture from different parts of the world can change that.
It is easier to appreciate something when you understand it. All continents of the globe have developed unique and extraordinary modes of expression, which are not only fascinating to learn about but are important for fostering cultural awareness and appreciation.
Overall, the inclusion of creative methods, expression, and history into the traditional education system could foreseeably be the key to unlocking a more emotionally mature and well-rounded society of individuals.
