Painting lessons might not be on top of parent’s priority list for their children. Yet, painting is an activity all the parents allow their kids to indulge in since it helps keep the kids engaged, is easily accessible and totally harmless. But what if you were told that painting has numerous mental and psychological health benefits for kids?
The human brain constitutes of the left and the right hemisphere. We use our left brain for logical thinking and analytical processes. On the other hand, the right brain is connected with our intuition, emotional perception, and creativity. As kids the left side of our brain is trained in school the left hemisphere of the brain remains neglected because of lack of creative activities. Exposing children to art is a great way to nurture the right hemisphere of the brain.
Here are five more health benefits of painting, which will make you admire the art of painting and drawing a little more.
Develops Neural Connections
Art activities like squirt gun painting, blow painting, etc. employ most of the senses including sound, touch, sight, smell, and taste. As kids paint their view of things around them on paper and convey their emotions and feelings through the scribbling on paper, their brain’s synapses fire away. Whether they are mixing colors, squishing paint between their fingers or targeting water guns at a canvas; all the art related activities affect their neural connections and make them stronger.
Builds Motor Skills
From simple activities like scribbling, holding a paintbrush or mixing colors to a little complex action like squeezing a glue bottle or kneading and rolling play dough, art involves several tasks that require high coordination and dexterity. Depending on the art project your kid is working on, their motor skills will improve with continued involvement. For instance, mobility in hands and fingers is significantly increased after regularly handling a paintbrush. The fine motor skills that are built eventually with painting later become mental shortcuts that the brain starts using in everyday life.
Improves memory and concentration
Just as workout exercises our body, painting acts as an exercise for our minds. Art and other creative activities are said to improve our memory function. It helps sharpen the parts of our brain that are responsible for memory and concentration. Art also strengthens memory recollection skills in kids through conceptual visualization and implementation.
Develop Problem-solving Abilities
Kids only splash colors on a canvas when they first start painting, but eventually, they try to convey their thoughts, emotions, and views through the paintings. Therefore, an open-ended art project offers endless opportunities to make choices, derive conclusions, do some second-guessing and evaluate the final results. Art helps children become familiar with uncertainties and helps them stay flexible and confident. As kids gain experience with painting, indulge in different techniques, and try new combinations and ideas, they are more likely to develop their problem-solving abilities.
Undoubtedly, painting is a fun activity, but its amazing health benefits make it an essential activity for kids as well.
Aside from painting, another fun and beneficial activity for kids is acrylic pouring. It’s a new art trend that you can learn more about on this page (with a floetrol recipe included), or when you check acrylicpouring.com.
