Children loves Art

It’s a wonderful way for them to express themselves in a creative, nonverbal form.  The creative possibilities are endless and go as far as their imagination can take them.  Along this journey they explore who they are and the world around them. Most of all it’s fun!  Have you ever watched a small child with a box of crayons, a tub of play dough, or finger-paints? The joy of art continues into teen years and is encouraged in schools.  Art can help heighten self-esteem and improve overall academic performance of students.

Children love to draw and paint, and their work is a reflection of their inner world. Most kids don't think about their artwork. For the past 9 years, I've used children's drawings as an important part of my study.

The family drawing helps me survey development at a given moment in time, and it may tip me off to potential problems. A single drawing is a snapshot of a child's point of view -- of her role in the family, her relationship to other family members, and her self-esteem. It also may show strengths in the child and the family that are important to recognize and validate. It can indicate cultural patterns that give me a better understanding of some behaviors or beliefs. I always ask the parents for their impression of the drawing, because our conversation can yield even more information that may not come up otherwise.

A big caveat here:

We all want to find hidden meanings in drawings, but be cautious about overinterpreting. It's not a good idea to read too much into your child's sketches. Instead, use them as an opportunity to talk with your child about what he or she has drawn. Then ask questions about them to enhance communication between you. Do your best to avoid giving too many of your own impressions. I purposely keep the conversation very open-ended: "Tell me about your drawing. Who are the people in the picture? What are they doing?" For examples of what you might be looking for with your own children, check out my analysis of these kids' drawings.

Benefits of Grade Drawing

Elementary/Intermediate Drawing Exam 

Are_you_good_at_drawing? 

Do you want to take up Fine arts or Commercial Arts as a final subject in college? Then surely, you may have heard of Elementary and Intermediate Drawing exams. A lot of us have heard of it but may not know all the details. So today, we are making things easier for you by giving you information about these exams all in one place!

The elementary and intermediate grade examination was instituted in the year 1880 by the Art Directorate of the Government of Maharashtra. It started with 18 students for the first ever examination, moving onto around 2 lakh students who appear for this examination, every year. These exams were instituted with the idea of encouraging and developing an interest of art education amongst young aspiring individuals.

These examinations are generally held in the latter half of September every year. And only those candidates who pass the Intermediate Drawing Grade Examination are admitted to the specialized higher courses like Commercial Art, Fine Art, and Foundation. While it is not compulsory for other Art courses like Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Textile, having this additional certification does give you an edge over others. In fact, even some IT and other vocational courses give you a preference if you have taken this exam. As per govts new policy From year 2017-18, Candidates who pass Intermediate Drawing Examination with Grade A will get 15 points/extra marks, with Grade B will get 10 points/extra marks and with Grade C they will get 5 points/extra marks.

There is a prescribed age limit for students i.e. 17 years for the Elementary & 18 years for the Intermediate Grade Exam. These exams are held in Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra-Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, U.P. and Delhi. The names of the first 60 successful candidates in order of merit for each of the Grade examinations are announced at the examination centres. This exam is open to any candidate, private or candidates from recognized institutions.

Importance of Art

Here is what I’ve learned through experience about why the art is so important:

There’s no doubt that the art is fun for both kids and adults. Diving into those finger paints and making a beautiful picture to hang on the fridge is awesome. Acting in a play is exhilarating. But the arts also help kids develop on many fundamental levels. It helps learners to develop creative problem-solving skills. Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness.

Here are the top 10 ways that the arts help kids learn and grow:

1. Creativity. This may seem like a no-brainer, but the arts allow kids to express themselves better than math or science. In an arts program, your child will be asked to recite a monologue in 6 different ways, create a painting that represents a memory, or compose a new rhythm to enhance a piece of music. If children have practice thinking creatively, it will come naturally to them now and in their future career.

2. Improved Academic Performance. The arts don’t just develop a child’s creativity—the skills they learn because of them spill over into academic achievement. A report by Americans for the Arts states that young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day on three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.

3. Motor Skills. This applies mostly to younger kids who do art or play an instrument. Simple things like holding a paintbrush and scribbling with a crayon are an important element to developing a child’s fine motor skills. According to the National Institutes of Health, developmental milestones around age three should include drawing a circle and beginning to use safety scissors. Around age four, children may be able to draw a square and begin cutting straight lines with scissors.

4. Confidence. While mastering a subject certainly builds a student’s confidence, there is something special about participating in the arts. Getting up on a stage and singing gives kids a chance to step outside their comfort zone. As they improve and see their own progress, their self-confidence will continue to grow.

5. Visual Learning. Especially for young kids, drawing, painting, and sculpting in art class help develop visual-spatial skills. Dr. Kerry Freedman, Head of Art and Design Education at Northern Illinois University says, Children need to know more about the world than just what they can learn through text and numbers. Art education teaches students how to interpret, criticize, and use visual information, and how to make choices based on it.

6. Decision Making. The arts strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills. How do I express this feeling through my dance? How should I play this character? Learning how to make choices and decisions will certainly carry over into their education and other parts of life—as this is certainly a valuable skill in adulthood.

7. Perseverance. I know from personal experience that the arts can be challenging. When I was trying to learn and master the clarinet, there were many times when I became so frustrated that I wanted to quit. But I didn’t. After practicing hard, I learned that hard work and perseverance pay off. This mindset will certainly matter as they grow—especially during their career where they will likely be asked to continually develop new skills and work through difficult projects.

8. Focus. As you persevere through painting or singing or learning a part in a play, focus is imperative. And certainly focus is vital for studying and learning in class as well as doing a job later in life.

9. Collaboration. Many of the arts such as band, choir, and theater require kids to work together. They must share responsibility and compromise to achieve their common goal. Kids learn that their contribution to the group is integral to its success—even if they don’t have the solo or lead role.

10. Accountability. Just like collaboration, kids in the arts learn that they are accountable for their contributions to the group. If they drop the ball or mess up, they realize that it’s important to take responsibility for what they did. Mistakes are a part of life, and learning to accept them, fix them, and move on will serve kids well as they grow older.

Is your student looking to become more involved in the arts? Not only public schools offer their students art and music courses, Art Palette has individual art classes for children’s and adults too. For more information and our programs that encourage student involvement in the arts, you can contact our enrollment team at 7021366230