Making the Arts Part of Your Child's Life

Making the Arts Part of Your Child's Life

It is never to early to introduce your child to the Arts. Recent research has shown that listening to music, even as young as infancy, increases spatial-temporal reasoning skills. It has also been proven that children who take musical lessons, especially piano, achieve higher scores on standardized testing. Watching dramatic productions enhances language skills, including comprehension, and viewing fine art can be aesthetically pleasing even to children.

Today, many schools and communities have lost the importance of the Arts. Budget cutbacks have limited the programs available in schools so that most children's only exposure to the Arts is through their parents. As a parent, there are a number of things you can do to encourage your child's interest in the Arts. First, start sharing your own interests with your child when she is very young. Baby Einstein DVDs are perfect for infants and toddlers. The videos introduce famous classical composers like Mozart and Beethoven, as well as fine artists like Van Gogh and Monet. Your little one can even discover the poetic words of Shakespeare with these educational videos.

As your child gets older, attend theater and dance performances together or attend a poetry reading. The local symphony or choral society may offer special performances designed for children. Museums and art galleries are also fun destinations for exposure to the Arts. Discuss popular works with your child and talk about how the piece makes you both feel. Listen to Mozart and let your child draw a picture to match the music or look at a painting by Monet and imagine the background music.

Encourage your child to keep a journal. Creating keepsake albums for special events like birthdays or vacations are a good way to get started. Help your child collect souvenirs and mementos from the occasion. You may even give him a disposable camera to take his own pictures to remember the special time. Afterwards, allow him to glue the pictures and memorabilia onto cardstock or album pages and encourage him to write his own commentary for the memory book.

Promote education in the Arts to your local school leaders. Discuss the programs that are already available through the schools and inquire about starting new programs. If your child's school budget does not allow an adequate amount of exposure to the Arts, consider volunteering your own time for field trips and special classroom projects. Join with other parents in the school to petition the leaders for more Arts programs.

Local communities are usually full of opportunities to become immersed in the Arts. High school bands, orchestras, and choruses give free performances usually twice a year. Many student drama and theater groups also put on a number of free plays and productions, often of classic literary pieces. Visit and discuss the high school and college art exhibits as well.

Participating in the Arts is just as important as art appreciation, especially for a child's cognitive development. Provide your child with a variety of art materials to create his own masterpieces. Encourage him to write creatively and consider music lessons, art camps, or dance classes as well.

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