6 reasons why Art education is important for school children

Art education has always been a part of school curriculums. But the majority of times parents willingly ask teachers to drop the art classes from their child’s schedule. Many believe that art classes are just an extra expense, while others are of the opinion that the time spent on ‘creating art’ is better when spent on learning to code or to fix bugs. And so, art education is treated as the ‘whim and fancy’ of a rebel kid. But, what if there were actually some great reasons for a student to be well-versed with art? Here we mention 6 reasons why Art education is important for school children.

As the world of AI is closing in on humans, the fear of job loss has been constant. From coders to computer science graduates, the fear of AI taking over their work has led to many problems across nations. But, if there is one thing that AI can’t copy then it is the human connection. The human connection in work, in art, in poetry, in drawing, in singing, and more. And as the more ‘traditional’ subjects let in on the fear of becoming obsolete, the creativity that is generated through art education becomes like a safe haven. And so, by being a part of the art class, a child is not missing out on ‘real’ knowledge, they are just gaining something that will help them in an ‘AI-generated’ world.

Art comes in many different forms and is not just limited to water colours and paint brushes. Art also has in it the ability to sing, dance, sculpt, create poetry, and much more. And in between all of these, no matter which art form the child is being taught, they learn to approach problems with different, quicker solutions. For example, something as little as being out of grey paint makes them quickly think about mixing black and white. Then, not being able to find something that rhymes with ‘Butter’, makes them think harder until they come up with a word that will fir their poem or song.

Art, especially the one that goes down on canvas or is etched on clay, demands exceptional hand-eye coordination. One disturbance in the perfectly straight line and the whole painting goes to waste. One extra chip in the sculpture and the aesthetics are completely wasted. In fact, one small mistake in showing a gesture, and the whole performance comes out of line. So, creating art is not always about splattering paint, or breaking glasses, sometimes it is also about coordinating the right steps, making sure of the straight lines, and also chipping just the right amount of clay off the sculpture.

Art education makes students pay close attention to the little details. And this attention to detail is learned in many ways. Be it copying a certain stencil style, hitting a particular chord on the guitar, learning how to soften or heighten their pitch for the right open poetry effect, and so much more. When learning art, children have to focus on the elements, the proportions, the styles and lines, and so much more.And over time, this attention to detail also improves their memory as they learn to recall visual details and reapply them in their work.

Engaging in artistic activities, especially things like dancing, singing, theatre, and the likes, helps children build confidence about their abilities. As they create and complete art projects, they start to develop a sense of pride in their work which helps improve their confidence. And since there are no right or wrong ‘answers’ in art, they get the liberty to explore new things without any concept of ‘failing’ if they don't mug up or cram details.

Art encourages experimentation, and that is something children do not always get in traditional subjects. In the art class, students are encouraged to try new things, pick new styles, go for a more ‘glittery’ approach, play a new instrument, and much more. But in hard, fact-ruled science, students cannot just change equations according to their whims and fancies. And while there is nothing wrong with this, the freedom to try new things is just more in art education.