4 Ways To Cultivate A Love For Art And Culture In Your Children

We live in a digital era where kids spend a lot of time glued to screens. Putting the focus on outdoor play, music, arts, crafts and imaginative play have become more important than ever. The benefits of art and culture are many and it will be in your child’s best interests to help them to cultivate a love for art and culture from an early age.

There are many different forms of art and culture including (but not limited to):

• poetry
• literature
• painting
• sculpture
• theatre
• music
• dance

Benefits of Arts & Culture For Children

Poetry

Poetry has amazing development benefits for children. Poetry helps children with creative language skills, self-expression, language development, writing skills, creativity and developing the natural rhythms.

Literature

Reading to your children is fun and very beneficial for them. Reading stimulates cognitive development, increases vocabulary and syntax, stimulates imagination, improves attention span, develops empathy and strengthens the bond between reader and child.

Reading is also a fantastic way to teach children about everything they need to know in a fun and interesting way. It also assists children to identify their feelings and cope with their problems and feelings.

Many parents use literature as a way to teach their children about topics that are difficult to navigate such as death.

Developing a love for reading will help your children throughout their schooling years and in the workplace as adults.

Painting

Painting is a fantastic activity for kids that is educational as well as fun. Benefits of painting include improved hand-eye coordination, development of mobility skills, learning how to focus on small details, learning about colours and how they go together, development of creativity and imagination and development of decision-making skills.

Sculpture

Sculpting, such as clay modelling, is great fun for kids and also offers many benefits for children, such as the development of motor skills and creative problem solving. Playing with clay can also be very therapeutic.

Theatre

Children benefit from watching theatre shows and from participating in them too. Taking your children to watch shows at Durham Performing Arts Center DPAC will help to improve their emotional intelligence and it gives a wonderful opportunity to talk about difficult topics. It is also a fun family outing that provides a wonderful bonding experience for you and your kids.

Getting your kids involved in a drama club and taking part in shows teaches your child teamwork, helps to combat their fear of public speaking, provides a great way to express themselves, encourages creativity and fun, develops empathy and exposes your child to literature and history.

Music

There’s no denying it – music is such an important part of the lives of many people. Music offers many benefits for children, including improved brain power, development of social skills, improved confidence, encourages creativity, teaches them discipline and improves patience.

Dance

Dance is a fantastic way to channel all that energy in a positive and fun way. Other benefits of dance include improved strength and balance, improved cardiovascular health, boosted cognitive development, great mental exercise, improved social skills, mood booster and a great way for kids to express themselves through movement.

Physical exercise is essential for children and dance is a fantastic way to make sure that they get enough daily physical activity.

Cultivating Love For Art And Culture In Your Children

During the formative years of your child’s life it is important to put focus on your child’s academic performance at school, to make sure your child takes part in physical activities such as sport and to ensure that your child grows up with healthy eating habits. This is also the time to expose your child to the world of art and culture. Including art and culture in your child’s education is ensuring a more holistic approach.

For your child to be motivated to explore art and culture it needs to be exciting and meaningful to your child. Here are some ways to cultivate a love for art and culture in your children:

Share The Things You Love

The best way to get your kids excited and interested is to share the things that you are enthusiastic about. Enthusiasm spreads and it will be a wonderful bonding experience for you to share these things with your children and see if anything sparks their interest.

Make a list of all things you love and come up with some fun ways to share these things with your children.

There are so many different forms of art and culture that you can explore from photography , crafting and baking to creative writing and playing instruments.

Choose one or two things at a time to explore with your child without overwhelming him.

Here are some things you can do:

• Take your child to a live performance show – let him choose the show and the seats at Durham Performing Arts Center Seating Chart.
• Visit your local museum or art gallery
• Take your child to a live music show
• Find interesting videos and articles to share with your children
• If your child shows interest in an artist or performer help your child look that person up and see if there are any books about them or written by them.

Provide Opportunities For Your Children To Take Part

Taking your kids to shows through the DPAC box office is fantastic and so is going to visit art galleries and other interesting places, however it is also important to let your child explore these things for himself.

Stock up on plenty of art supplies so your child has plenty of pencils, paint, paper, clay, glue, glitter and other goodies to get creative. Instead of putting all your old newspaper, toilet rolls, empty bottles and jars into the recycling keep it and search online for crafty things to do with your kids. This will keep them busy, away from their screens and give an amazing outlet for their creative sides.

If your child makes suggestions to make things encourage them and help them with their projects.

Keep all your old clothing and make a dress up box. Add in scarfs, hats and dress up costumes. Encourage them to come up with their own plays and puppet shows and have fun as a family.

It’s not only old clothing that can come in handy – you can also keep any old appliances that can be incorporated into role play and imaginative play. Your kids will have a ball.

Get some instruments for your kids – if they are very young go for the cheaper more toy like instruments. You can also make plenty of homemade instruments which will be loads of fun. Drums are easy to make and so are shakers. If they show aptitude or interest as they grow older you can consider getting them proper instruments to play.

Play music in your home and encourage your child to dance and to listen to the words to try and understand what the song is about so that your children develop a deeper understanding of music.

Cooking and baking with your children is an excellent idea. It will make your life as a parent much easier when your kids can start making food independently plus your child will be learning great skills when measuring, mixing and following recipes.

Send Them For Lessons

If your child shows an interest in something consider sending him for classes. It is important that your child enjoys the lessons and stays motivated. Finding the right teacher that uses a teaching method that resonates with your child is key. Yes you want your child to learn and gain new skills but the process is just as important as learning.

The ultimate goal is to feed your child’s enthusiasm and to nurture a love for art and culture, when that is achieved your child will learn the practical aspects but without achieving that goal you may find your child’s interest and enthusiasm disappears over time.

Know When A Change Is Needed

It is important to know when a change of direction is needed. It is perfectly normal for your child to want to give something up and want to try something else. You need to find the balance between letting your child know that they have made a commitment to learn something and letting them explore their options.

It may be a good idea to let your child know that if he chooses a certain direction, for example guitar lessons, he will need to stick with that for a period of time before making a change to another instrument, such as piano, so that he has given it a fair chance. You don’t want to force your child to continue doing something that no longer interests him, but you also don’t want to have your child flitting between things on a whim without really giving each thing  a really good go of it before deciding it isn’t for him after all.

Your child may need to try out a number of different things before he finds that things that truly suit him and make him happy.