I can still remember handing my mother a portrait of her and I walking through lines of choppy grass, strolling awkwardly towards an uneven crayon-colored house, containing numerous shades of brown and a smudge of an unpleasant pink.
It may not have been a work of art, but it never failed to make my mother smile.
As a young kid, I colored on the place mats at restaurants and unfortunately on our own kitchen walls. I believe that as a kid, drawing is the easiest, most fun way to explore your creativity.
However, with most pre-school and elementary curriculums in the United States consisting of, on average, an hour dedicated to art projects, the average parent seems to be receiving more works of art than the fridge door can handle.
“We’re getting two to four pieces of crayon drawing a day,” said 36-year-old Ms. Hanff, the mother of a 4-year-old girl who seems to get carried away in art class.
Although children may be forcing their parents to become hoarders, I believe the benefits that art can bring a child is well worth it.
David Burton, a professor of art education at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, stated that art is extremely important within the development of young children. While cognitive and fine motor skills are developed through drawing, children are also taught to recognize and distinguish different colors, shapes, and forms. In addition, just as drawing can be used therapeutically, children have been shown to use drawing in order to express their emotions.
Just as I once handed my “highly acclaimed” drawings to my mother as a young girl, I hope that children of the future will continue this ageless tradition.
Polkadots1112's Blog 