Tapping into creativity improves critical thinking skills, not to mentio-it’s just plain fun!

Remember the times when you saw the spark of curiosity ignite in your child’s eyes? That moment when their minds were opened to endless possibilities? Wasn’t it wonderful to watch? This summer we witnessed that spark once more. Our family vacation to Washington D.C. gave our children the opportunity to experience a wonderful array of arts and culture as we strolled through its richly stocked museums and galleries. We left DC renewed and determined, more than ever, to keep that spirit alive.

What is it about arts and culture that creates this type of reaction within us? How do they benefit our everyday lives and the lives of our children? Since the beginning of time, humans have used the arts in one form or another to define who we are. From the Lascaux cave paintings, estimated to be over 17,000 years old, to this year’s Doodle for Google, won by second grader Dylan Hoffman, art has been an integral part of our civilization.

Through research and studies done in the past 20 years, we have learned how crucial the arts are, both academically and culturally, for our youth. Rather than being told what to think, art teaches our children how to think, encouraging them to both ask the questions and figure out the answers for themselves. It is truly inspiring to see how effortlessly our children’s minds engage with art and explore the freedom that it offers.

In the academic setting, these studies have shown that students who create art have improved critical thinking skills and receive better grades in math and science, along with being more proficient readers. Children who experience the arts gain unique cultural insights into the similarities and differences of the world around them. Using their creativity and acquired art skills provides our children with an invaluable tool to communicate their feelings and ideas.

Parents who understand just how important arts and culture are might ask the question, “How can we spark this interest in creativity within our family and keep our children engaged and excited throughout the year?”  Jill Nash, Director of Education for the Art & History Museums in Maitland, recalls that as a young girl, her parents made certain that she and her sister were taken on a number of cultural adventures. “It may have consisted of a day trip to the local historical museum, or a few hours by car to see a new, exciting play,” she says. “For families today, these experiences can be an opportunity to be truly present with one another,  share ideas and opinions,  learn new things, acquire shared hobbies, and have a little fun.”

Experts agree that whether in the community or at home, children should have the opportunity to experience arts and culture and unleash their own creativity. Here are some simple and easy ideas to help you get started:

• Visit museums and galleries in Orlando and neighboring cities. Travel to new places; Incorporating museum and gallery visits into your family vacations.
• Search online for virtual galleries from different cultures around the world.
• Designate an area in your house as the creative “outpost”. Stock it with a variety of art supplies starting with the basics: pencils, crayons, paper, scissors and glue.
• Dedicate space to a “gallery.” Start with your refrigerator and some magnets. Then graduate to a wall in your home where your child’s masterpieces will be proudly displayed.
• Celebrate creative success, no matter how small. Our children were born with fearless creativity and it is our responsibility as parents to nurture that spirit and help it grow.

Parents will discover that children instinctively gravitate towards the arts. Explore the world or art together and build your own private gallery to reaffirm the success of your budding artist.

“Art is a nation’s most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish.”

–Lyndon Johnson, on signing into existence the National Endowment on the Arts

Online Art Adventures

National Gallery of Art

www.nga.gov/kids/

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

http://www.artsmia.org

Exploratorium Museum

http://www.exploratorium.edu/

Metropolitan Museum of Art

http://www.metmuseum.org/

Art Games at the Albright Knox

http://kids.albrightknox.org/

Wacky Kids from the Denver Art Museum

http://www.wackykids.org/

MOMA-Art Safari from the Museum of Modern Art

http://www.moma.org/interactives/artsafari/

The Children’s Museum of Modern Art

http://www.childrensmuseum.org/

Tate Kids

http://kids.tate.org.uk/