I completely believe that the arts and art education plays a huge part in childhood development. I’m honored to have this guest post from We The Parents to share with you!

Arts Education: A lot More Than Paintings on Our Fridges

Diplomacy is a skill that parents learn early. Like when your kiddo arrives home from school beaming, and eagerly thrusts a colorful piece of paper at you. Now you’ve got a split second to figure out what on earth it is.

Think fast… it’s definitely art… it’s got a Picasso feel (ears, eyes, and mouth not where you’d expect)… some sort of… animal.. maybe…

“What a gorgeous… giraffe?”

No. Oh, yes, an elephant. Of course. Now I see it!

“I love this elephant. It’s going straight up on the fridge.”

Of course, we adore our children’s artwork, but it’s the pride on their little faces when we hang it up that is truly priceless.

On top of this, the value of learning arts at school goes beyond the artistic skills they develop. Being immersed in the arts develops their cognitive abilities and fosters positive character traits, like self-confidence, openness, and empathy.

Shockingly, however, arts in schools are being chopped left, right, and center. With budgets being squeezed, it’s Arts Programs that is often the first to go. This is a serious matter. And if you’re not convinced, then take a look at these 51 ways that Arts Education benefits our children.

Arts have the power to positively transform the lives of our kids. That’s why we should all join together in support of this week’s National Arts in Education Week (learn more about it here).

Our children should have the right to a diverse and culturally rich education; one that attends to their minds, body, and wellbeing. We rob them of this opportunity if we drop Arts Programs from schools.

Let’s unite around National Arts in Education Week. I think we can all now agree that the arts have earned their spot in our schools just as your kid’s Giraphalant creation has earned a spot on your fridge.

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BIO:

Neve is a music teacher, kid wrangler, and writer. She blogs at WeTheParents with husband, Keane. There, she gets serious penning parental advice, while he messes about reviewing kids toys. Ah, the imbalance!