If ya know me, or follow me a bit you know I paint with my kids (family).
So I have only been painting since October 2023 but I have been pretty consistent in my practice. What I noticed is how my consistent art practice has been effecting my family and especially my kids over the last, almost 2-years, as of this writing.
What I have found is my whole family has fun when we paint together. My 5-year-old though planted the seeds for this article, well it was more of a continued observation and then a bit of time reflecting on these ideas. That’s what I do… overthink life. Ha!
My youngest is a self-proclaimed artist, which I totally love. But this bold declaration had me wondering how does this sort of thing happen? How does one self-identify as an artist?
I mean this kid keeps asking if his latest artwork would be good in a gallery which again just leads my curious mind to fun places wondering a bit about the brain, brain development, and mental health benefits of exposure to art. So I thought I’d explore this a bit in an article and share some research and my personal findings.
Exposing kids to art on a regular basis has numerous mental health and cognitive benefits. Here are some key advantages:
MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS
Painting Delivers Stress Reduction
Engaging with art (creating or observing) can lower stress levels, promoting relaxation and emotional regulation. In my kid’s situation they seem to be very focused and get into a flow state (from my observation).
As an adult, I will sometimes be in a foul mood and decide to go paint and I can tell you personally it is very relaxing and also will help me improve a bad attitude. I am not sure I have actually tried offering painting in stressful times to my kids.
I do know if I offer painting both kids often light up and get excited to paint with me or even if I just guide them or give them supplies and let them at it.
Kids Painting Actually Boosts Their Self-Esteem
Completing an art project gives kids a sense of accomplishment and confidence in their abilities.
As I mentioned above, my youngest has been really excited about painting and asks to paint from time-to-time. He’s done a fair amount of painting and as I shared he thinks of himself as an artist and wants his work in galleries/museums. He certainly got a boost of confidence and self-esteem from his art practice.
Painting Offers Emotional Expression
Art provides a non-verbal outlet for kids to express their feelings, which can be especially helpful for those who struggle to communicate emotions.
I do not have a personal example of this with my kids but I can say that when I was frustrated, sad, surprised, blind-sided after the last election. I lost my interest to paint for a while. It was the craziest thing. I have never NOT wanted to paint but now was feeling depleted and uninspired which was a first for me.
So I thought about protest art over the decades and I tried to push myself through the emotional block I was in. An artists friend offered a prompt “disruption” which I was able to just try to take a painting I had started that was abstract and paint disruption which then led to painting my feelings at that time.
I do not want this to be a political article but I use this example because although I have not done this with my boys as of yet, I do think it might be a great way to explore and express their emotions in a healthy way. I do plan to try it sometime with them.
Here is my emotional expression art piece where I followed the “disruption” prompt.
Kid's Painting Enhances Focus and Mindfulness
Creating or observing art encourages kids to stay present in the moment, helping with attention span and concentration. This is something I witness every time I set me kids up to paint. The focus and being present in the moment is pretty amazing.
Being a mindfulness guy, I LOVE this. It is a really FUN way to practice mindfulness without using the term mindfulness at all. Brilliance!
Community Painting and Visiting Art Museums Encourages Social Connection
Visiting art museums or participating in group art activities fosters a sense of community and can improve social skills.
At art museums the kids are exposed to different cultures and this helps us connect with other people and other communities better. Visiting art museums can help not only kids but all people be more empathetic to other cultures by exposing them to new ideas and perspectives. Museums can also help people understand that others face similar challenges and fears or delight in similar things.
As my art journey progressed, I started offering community paint parties (for adults mostly) and art camps for kids. The community piece is really beautiful and provides a fun way to connect with one another. Who doesn’t want more of that in society and for our kids?
Cognitive and Brain Benefits
Kids Painting Enhances Creativity and Problem-Solving
Exposure to art helps kids think outside the box, develop critical thinking, and improve their ability to find creative solutions.
I cannot say that in the last two years my kid’s new home exposure to art has made them better problem solvers. I am not sure how to test this. I will say that I have been drawing and creative since I was a young child and I am a pretty good problems solver and do come at situations sometimes from very out of the box thinking. I’d love to see this be true with my boys.
Kids Painting Improves Fine Motor Skills
Activities like drawing, painting, or sculpting refine hand-eye coordination and motor development. I can certainly see this in my boys. It seems the more they paint, the better they get which I’d guess makes painting a good developmental tool that is more like play than homework.
Art Making Strengthens Memory and Cognitive Function
Engaging with art can stimulate brain regions linked to memory, observation, and analytical thinking.
Art Making Encourages Multisensory Learning
Art often involves multiple senses (sight, touch, and sometimes sound), reinforcing learning and brain development.
I like to include music and/or meditation sometimes when I lead painting classes not to mention sometimes we have snacks and drinks which add to the art making experience.
Art Making Supports Academic Performance
Studies suggest that children exposed to art tend to perform better in subjects like math, reading, and science due to enhanced cognitive flexibility.
I always thought this was mostly related to playing music, but I want to dig deeper in this topic related to art specifically. Both of my boys go to a Dual Language Fine Arts Academy (public school) so they are exposed to a lot of different kinds of arts.
I personally struggled in school but my oldest is thriving and excelling in school. We’ll have to see how my lil guy does. It is a bit early to tell where he’ll be at. This is a great thing to expose kids to if it helps them perform better in school. As a society we should all want that.
Conclusion…
Regular exposure to art can be a powerful tool for nurturing a child’s emotional well-being and intellectual growth.
Want to learn more?
Well, stay tuned as I am planning another article or two on this topic. In the meantime did you know that I started offering Kids Art Classes in addition to offering kids art camps in the summers? I will be offering these art classes to homeschooling communities, community centers looking for after-school programs, and organizations seeking positive community building programming.
If you have questions you can contact me via my contact page.
If you like this article, please tell me what you liked or what your thoughts are about the different ideas covered or if I missed anything please share your experience below in the comments area. Thanks for reading, friends!
