How Developing Interest In Arts Helps Your Child?

Beneath the Veil

“…and that’s a wrap up of the designs for Rohan Das!” 

This was a milestone Rohan reached in his career. Watching the models walk one of the top ramps in the country with designs he had created and watch people bid on buying them was unbelievable. 

Rohan was a small town boy who always loved fashion and design. He would save rupee by rupee to go to the nearest internet cafe to browse through the latest designs in the fashion world, indulge in some online learning from experts and draw them his own way. 

Rohan grew up in a business-based family, and his fate was already decided for him. He would grow up to be a businessman and take the family business forward. But.. Rohan didn’t like working in the catering sector and wanted to be a designer. His family was appalled by the idea. His mother, though, eventually grew a soft corner for 16-year old Rohan, who drew his designs beside his accounting textbooks. She gave him the money for his design research at the local internet café and for his stash of fashion magazines hidden inside his almirah.

It was his guilty pleasure. The veil is lifted, and he lived to dream his dream. 

Arts and Online Learning

Online education may seem like something that is new but in reality it has existed before. It’s just that currently it has risen in popularity because of the covid situation that the world is going through. So now comes the big question: how can something like arts be so important in your child’s life? 

Arts is a subject that forms the backbone for most professions. There is a saying by Howard Gardiner, a well known education theorist that, “artistic learning grows from children doing things: not just imitating but actually creating, whether it be drawing, painting, or sculpting on their own.” 

There is also the proven fact about how students who are interested in arts display a higher amount of emotional intelligence which helps them become more empathetic. Art is everywhere around you and expressing one’s emotion through art is one of the purest forms of expression. It’s almost like learning to communicate in strokes or chisels or movement or even poetry and other forms of writing. 

There are multiple benefits of online learning when it comes to the arts. The arts are a subject that doesn’t require any kind of physical contact for most of its forms. It comes from observing online spaces and connecting with different kinds of art. For children, art can be taught through digital painting and even by watching tutorials online that one can recreate later. There is always a personal touch when it comes to the arts, so it is one of the best ways to encourage self expression. 

Preschool Online Learning of Arts

Preschoolers tend to be the best reapers of art because they see the world through the eyes of a child. As we grow up we tend to forget to be children again. Art in preschoolers can help sharpen their motor skills and understand cause and effect. Cause and effect is basically doing an action to get a reaction eg. If you press down on your pencil, it will either break or give off a darker shade. Preschool online learning is fun to watch too! Remember that it is the process of the artwork that matters and not the artwork itself. 

There is a very effective form of therapy called art therapy that works wonders with kids. Art education can help your child signal out any red flags that might be taking place in their lives.

Older Children and Adults

It’s never too late to dive into the world of art. There are a plethora of online learning courses available to cater to everyone’s interests. From drawing to painting to digital art, in the age of online learning, one can find so many online learning resources which are either free or paid! Art is also a great way to reconnect with oneself and release dopamine. It can also help in getting your child or even yourself to be more focused and increase concentration. In a therapeutic setting, art is used as a way to lessen anxiety and agitation in children and adults. 

So What Can We, as Parents, Do?

Break away. 

Break away from the stereotype that artists don’t have a stand in society. Artists shape societies in many ways. They probably even saved a life the other day by putting in some sunshine via their work for someone who almost gave up. They offer you your Monday motivation every day and make you smile on a rainy day. Artists make people happy and practicing their art makes them happy. So let your child explore all the opportunities that are available to them. If they want to pick arts in their 11th grade, let them. 

As parents, getting detached from your child’s dreams is important. Your child is yours but at the same time they are individuals with independent personalities and have hopes and dreams that are different from yours and that’s normal. 

Equip your little one to fly and watch them return on a rainbow!