Arts in Education Week

Guest Blog | We The Parents

It is National Arts in Education Week and, considering that 93% of Americans believe the arts to be a vital component to a child’s education, there will be plenty of people singing the praises of creativity in classrooms.

Unfortunately, we live in an era where Arts Education is regularly in danger of landing on the cutting room floor. As our schools face limited funding and constant pressure to get their student body to achieve high marks on standardized tests, some believe that 100% of the school day must be devoted to core academic subjects.

But should this be such a black and white situation? We don’t think so. For a start, here are 51 benefits of Arts Education for kids:

Clearly arts programs in schools can do incredible things for the lives of our children. While there are many promising studies regarding a positive link between Arts Education and academic achievement, that’s not the end of the story. Immersing kids in arts has been shown to: 

1. Raise self-esteem
2. Teach perseverance
3. Boost concentration
4. Build up critical thinking
5. Raise social tolerance

There is no doubt that core academic subjects are pivotal to the success of future generations. The world moves fast, and our children must have the intellectual and academic skills to keep up. But life is also full of gray areas. Our kids will need to know how to conduct themselves with confidence. They will need to be able to reach across the aisle and understand someone who holds a completely different perspective on life. They will need to know how to stand back up after they get knocked down.

No amount of test prep can teach these skills, but, through academic and Arts Education, our kids will gain a foundation of knowledge on which they can build strong characters. At the end of the day, isn’t that the dream of every parent and educator?