The value of art education in primary and secondary schools

Art education is very important in the primary and secondary schools and should be included, but many school districts try to eliminate the art curriculum when cutting back on funding. This is a big mistake. Art education should be considered as valuable as any other subject because it fosters many abilities that may be unnoticed by teachers and parents without it.

The primary grades - kindergarten through 5th grade - lay the groundwork for how a child will do in middle school and high school. Through art, teachers can assess the intellectual abilities of the young child. Gifted children are usually good at art at a very early age. However art can also be taught, and skills that are weak for some children can be improved through art.

Art education in the primary grades fosters

1) fine motor skills

Some children are not as good at writing as others and the fine motor skills used in drawing can help improve writing and printing skills. Some children have weaker fine motor skills such as children who are physically or genetically challenged or learning disabled.

2) hand-eye coordination

Art also helps children use hand-eye coordination. Most children will have learned this through the many toys they have learned to play with in their infant years, but there are some children who can use more work in this area also.

3) creativity

Art fosters creativity - learning to think and work creatively rather than doing rote work commanded by the teacher.

4) potential

All people, which includes the young child have boundless potential. Art might open the door to great potential that the child becomes aware of; and also the parents and teachers also become aware of the child's potential.

5) observation

Through art young children can learn at an early age to observe the world - to see trees, flowers, plants, perspective, shadows, and all sorts of things the artist looks at. Artistic observation brought to the child early in life gives them more of a sense of creativity and helps to promote the learning of many other subjects such as geography, science, reading, and almost all subjects the child studies.

6) knowledge of art

Learning about the great artists in history helps in learning history. Knowing about art techniques early can help a budding artist develop these techniques to acquire further techniques. Knowing about art helps to develop a cultured and learned person.

Art education in

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