Enriching Education - Creative Arts

 Arts engagement can help to reduce the risk of developing mental illness such as depression in adolescence and in older age. Participating in arts activities can build self-esteem, self-acceptance, confidence and self-worth, which all help to protect against mental illness. (National Institute of Health)

Meri Wallace, LCSW, is a parenting expert, and has been a child and family therapist for over thirty years. She is currently publishing her third book, The Secret World of Children, which helps parents understand the nine developmental causes for their children’s challenging behaviors.  

I had a chance to interview her about the benefits of involvement in the arts.

1: Why can the arts be so instrumental in helping kids express their emotions?

When children feel angry sometimes they will express their emotions by hitting, kicking or saying mean things. 

At other times children keep their emotions inside because they are afraid to reveal them or they don’t know how to express them in words. The Arts give children a positive outlet for expressing themselves through drawing, painting, writing stories, or playing music. This is very beneficial for children because children can  let out their feelings in a constructive way, and n longer suffer from repressing them.

2: What are some of the brain benefits of experiences in the arts.?

When children are engaged in the arts, studies have shown that the brain releases the  ”Happy hormone,” which gives children pleasure and can calm them down.When a child comes up with an art project, he learns how to be creative and express his individuality freely. As he works on it  and step by step brings it to completion, he improves his concentration, and his ability to solve problems.

3. How can families encourage creative experiences even if they don’t have much experience themselves?

Children naturally like to create things. So, the number one step is to have paper, pencils, crayons, paints, and  felt and your child will launch into making designs, shapes and pictures. Other materials that quickly lead to creativity are clay, a musical instrument, and dance music. 

Enrolling your child in a recorder class, or a jazz class will expose him to new activities even if you never played an instrument or danced.You can also encourage him to make simple projects with your child like a collage or finger paint together.