5 Life Enhancing Skills Picked Up From The Arts

Arts is not something many parents take seriously, for it’s deemed as a hobby more than a serious subject. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, we feel however, it’s only fair to bring to light some of the valuable skills that kids pick up from either learning art or participating in arts activities.

Creativity

Creativity lends interest and enthusiasm to life, even adding perspective to otherwise bothersome chores or duties. When a child is asked to recite a monologue in six different ways or create a painting that represents a memory, he or she will have to think on their feet, approach tasks from different perspectives and think ‘outside of the box’. These skills will distinguish children from others and give them an edge when it comes to creative thinking when they’re older.

Problem solving techniques

Have you realised that the more creative someone is, the better able they are to solve problems effectively? In turn, artistic creations too are born through the solving of problems. Deliberating on how to sculpt clay into a desired object or what dance movements will portray a certain emotion… Without even realizing it kids participating in arts are consistently being challenged to solve problems. All these practices develop children’s skills in reasoning and understanding. This will help develop important problem-solving skills necessary for success in any career in their future.

Focus

Research has shown that participation in the arts, particularly in the performing arts, improves children’s ability to concentrate and focus in various aspects of their lives. Keeping a balance between listening and contributing involves a great deal of concentration and focus. It requires each participant to not only think about their role, but how their role contributes to the big picture of what is being created.

Perseverance

When a child begins a piano lesson, he knows that delivering a 15-minute piano solo at his next school concert is not likely to happen anytime soon. However, when that child practices, learns the skills and techniques and doesn’t give up, that solo performance becomes much more of a possibility than it was before. In an increasingly competitive world, where people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is essential to achieving success.

Confidence

The skills developed through theater for instance, not only train the mind to convincingly deliver a message, but also build the confidence one needs to take command of the stage. Theater training gives children practice stepping out of their comfort zone and allows them to make mistakes and learn from them in rehearsal. This process gives children the confidence to face large audiences, something useful when their future jobs call for chairing meetings or delivering presentations.