It’s Arts in Our Schools Month! Studies show that students involved in arts achieve at higher levels. According to a 2019 study, students in arts-related classes had higher grades in middle school. And this article from the Brookings Institute is a fascinating read. How can you cultivate budding artists at home?
Studio Habits of Mind
From 2001-2007, researchers at Harvard’s Project Zero studied the habits that emerged within students who were enrolled in “strong visual arts classes.” This research led to the creation of a framework of eight habits, called the Studio Habits of Mind.
These eight habits are as follows, with mini-definitions by me:
- Develop Craft: learn techniques and procedures
- Engage and Persist: commit to what you start and work through even the hard
- Envision: visualize your finished product
- Express: put some of yourself in there!
- Observe: see, notice, wonder, and think about what is in the art you’re making and inspired by
- Reflect: how is the process going? What, if any, changes could be made next time?
- Stretch and Explore: try new things (techniques, media, etc.)
- Understand Art Worlds: use the art of others to inspire and guide your own work
Artists at Home
Especially in a culture of minimalism, encouraging the exploration of the messy and stashing toilet paper rolls for a future potential use is frowned upon. Eschew culture and lean into the messy. Kids are made to explore. It’s how they learn.
Give them the chalk. Let them make mudpies. Fingerpaints, watercolors, collage work, beads…let them stretch and explore within the visual arts so they can engage and persist in anything life throws their way later.
Dance Artists at Home
Humans crave movement.
In the womb, as any mother can attest, babies are gymnasts. As soon as my daughters learned to walk, they were off running. They climb on anything they think they can (which is a surprisingly large amount of things!).
Encourage dancing at home by having impromptu family dance parties after dinner or before bedtime. If your child is getting wiggly, challenge them with a dance routine. Or have a family dance-off!
Music Artists at Home
On the way to talking, each of my older kiddos has begun by babbling, then humming, then speaking. I soothe mine with lullabies. It takes little time to discover that banging things together makes their own sound.
Music is a language everyone understands.
Nurture your budding musician at home by singing to your kiddos, giving them access to musical toys (tambourine, xylophone, drums), and helping them explore the way things in nature (and kitchen cabinets) can be nontraditional forms of music.
Theatre Artists at Home
This is my area of expertise, as I have a degree in theatre and children who have a flair for the dramatic.
My girls absolutely love to put on shows for me. Sometimes the girls are inspired by stories. Or cartoons. Other times, they sing along to Broadway showtunes with their acting inserted. Sometimes, they’re painful to watch, I’m not gonna lie.
But leaning into the performance and allowing them to feel safe enough to perform in front of me is a win. Theatre is all about the choices that the performers make and the risks they’re willing to take. Supporting your child in making those choices and taking those risks will pay dividends on their confidence and creativity.
Outside Help
Of course, there are also extracurricular classes you can sign your child up for, whether it’s a weekly thing or a camp over a school break. This is like enrichment tutoring for the arts and can be another really helpful way to encourage your budding artists at home.
