BWW Exclusive: Arts and Student Wellness: The Diverse Benefits of Arts Education

While it's no secret that time spent in art classrooms, chorus rooms, and participating in school theatre has fostered the passion and creative talent of students all around the globe, the far reach of art education's benefits may be surprising to parents and educators. Though courses rooted in science, math, and technology are often given primary credit for helping children develop important practical and logical skills, research has revealed that arts participation may be just as significant in creating a well-rounded student.

National Arts in Education Week, which takes place from September 12th-18th, 2021, focuses on spreading the all-important message of the benefits of arts education. Sponsored by Americans for the Arts, the weeklong event encourages parents, educators, and students to participate in the #BecauseOfArtsEd social media campaign, advocate for arts education, and support Americans for the Arts in their ongoing mission to advance art education policies.

Eager to learn more about the benefits of arts education?

• It helps children to overcome natural, age-appropriate fears by encouraging the taking of small, relatively safe risks, diminishing anxiety and helping to establish self-confidence. (source)
• Exposure to art during early childhood has lasting positive effects on a child's cognitive abilities; additionally, a correlation has been identified between early art introduction/education and the ability to parse scientific images. (source, source 2)
• Engagement with the arts helps to encourage the development of spatial, temporal, and visual reasoning, especially through the use of sculpting, drawing, and threading beads. Some evidence also exists associating dance class participation with improvements to visual-spatial reasoning. (source, source 2)

To learn more about the positive personal, mental, social, academic, and physical benefits of arts education, check out this helpful infographic by We The Parents.