Education

Recent Research On The Advantages Of Children’s Art Classes

posted by Chris Valentine

Children's Art Classes

In recent years parents have been investing a lot on private art classes for their children. This is because children’s art lessons in Austin, TX or anyplace else in the world can have a lot of positive benefits on kids. Research on the possible benefits of art classes among children is also available. In this post, we look at this research and what means in child development and growth.

Creative Arts and Success in Life

A lot of parents who enroll their kids into art classes do it because it’s meant to be fun and trendy. No one really pays attention to the potential impact art could have in the child’s life decades down the line. Well, one research by Michigan State University found that, childhood participation in creative arts led to a measureable level of success later in life.

The study noted that children who were exposed to a wide variety of arts were more likely to create unique inventions in the future compared to those that didn’t. The Michigan State study was published in the journal Economic Development Quarterly. It analyzed a group of MSU Honors College graduates from 1990 and 1995. The study participants had all majored in STEM related courses at the university.

According to the findings, participants who owned businesses or patents had in fact received up to eight times more exposure to creative arts when they were children than those who didn’t. In addition to this, the study noted that, people who continued to interact with creative arts in their adult life were more likely to be inventors. In essence, creative arts are not just beneficial to children. Even for adults, art can inspire innovation too. The Michigan State researchers concluded that creative arts are essential in fostering out-of-the-box thinking. Participants in the study in fact noted that they often use artistic skills such as analogies, intuition, and imagination to solve complex problems.

The findings of the MSU study are very interesting for a number of reasons but one stands out. Education policies in many parts of the world have placed more focus on STEM than creative arts. As a matter of fact, funding for art related programs has been diverted to STEM courses. Policy makers have said many times that, the education system is not producing enough graduates with STEM related qualifications. They have also used this as justification to redirect funding from childrens art lessons towards STEM courses. As it turns out, it takes a ballet recital or an afternoon with crayons to produce the next Edison.

Art In Relation To Academic and Personal Achievements

Children's Art Classes

There is also some research suggesting that getting involved in art could increase the likelihood of academic achievements among young people.  A ten-year national study by Shirley Brice Heath of Stanford University showed that, young people involved in highly effective non-school arts programs especially in tough communities were;

– Four times more likely to win an academic award

– Eight times more likely to receive an award in community service

– Three times more likely to win an award for school attendance

– Four times more likely to get involved in a math or science fair

– Likely to score higher on their SAT college admission tests if they had at least four years of non-school art exposure.

Another study on the benefits of art classes published by Brookings also noted that, participation in the arts had significant positive effects on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. 

According to these studies, art can be used by children, their parents, and educators to discover new talents. Even in cases where children are struggling with other aspects of the curriculum in school, art gives them an expressive outlet that helps to communicate their thoughts. This expression can be crucial in the process of discovering or exposing various unique talents in every kid.

The Sad Truth

Public support for childrens art lessons and art programs in school is also huge. National surveys in the US for example show that, a significant percentage of the population believes that art is essential in creating an all rounded educational experience for children. Sadly, even with this evidence, the benefits of art classes in mainstream education has shrunk massively in recent years. Parents have to rely on private classes at the moment.

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