The Importance of Art Education in Young Children Essay -- The Benefit

In today’s society, much of our evaluation of academic achievement is based on a very narrow perspective of what sort of capabilities determine a child’s intelligence. The typical mindset of today’s educational systems views students who receive high scores on standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT as high ability students; such a statement, although true, limits the opportunities of students who are, in fact, intelligent, but in different academic areas. Because of the recent focus on math and reading scores, schools are doing away with art-related programs at an aggressive and alarming rate. What many do not realize, or rather, realize, but fail to acknowledge, is that involvement in art encourages development in many different areas and has been shown to improve a child’s overall performance (Arts). Involvement in visual arts enables children to begin building important life skills at a young age. Therefore, integrating art programs into the young c hild’s educational curriculum will help them reach maximum potential throughout their lifetime. Visual arts should be kept in schools because it enables children to express themselves, improves academics, and provides a therapeutic outlet that encourages maximum opportunity for development. One of the many benefits of involvement in visual arts is self-expression. A piece of art often reflects the mood of the artist or depicts a scenario that is related to an incident of importance in the artist’s life (Schlerf). As a result, visual art has become a helpful tool of communication. This is especially true for children, who may not know how to otherwise convey their feelings. These feelings could be expressed outright or through a metaphorical approach. Children might communic... ...hing Group. Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. "Fact Sheet About the Benefits of Arts Education for Children." Americans for the Arts. 04 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. Schlerf, Lauren. "Arts Education Initiative: Therapeutic Potential for Children - Erika Schnaps." MyPortfolio. University of Southern California, 07 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. Smith, Fran. "Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best | Edutopia." K-12 Education & Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies That Work | Edutopia. Edutopia, 28 Jan. 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. "What Are The Benefits Of Art Programs? | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools. Demand Media, Inc., 2011. Web. 14 Se "What Is Art Therapy?" Art Therapy. International Art Therapy Organization, 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. 1.