Back to School, Creativity and Children

by: Alberta S. Johnson

Well, it's back to school time again. Parents and children are slowly gearing up...... You can see it as they hustle and bustle through the neighborhood stores, cruising the aisles, looking for back-to-school bargains. Parents are generally happy that school will be starting up soon. And occasionally, so are the kids.

All of us can probably remember how great it felt when we were in grade school and drew or painted a picture of our house or a special friend. Why did that feel good? Because you were tapping into that special place inside each of us that wants to create and express ourselves. Those were your creative juices flowing through your mind-- sometimes gently, and sometimes in an excited manner!

There seems to be a growing need to promote creativity in school-age children. Creativity is being discussed in almost every realm: books, articles, tv and radio programs and the work place. Creative arts and crafts can be used to teach reading, writing, history, etc. We need to get the word out to many teachers on how to use art in teaching more than just art.  The arts are extremely important--very basic to the total learning experience. They are a means of self-expression: a way to communicate ideas, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and values. Some of the values we get from creative expression include self-discovery, self-reliance, and enthusiasm. We also learn to use our leisure time constructively.

The aim should be to provide parents and teachers with qualitative art education guidelines to help give purpose and structure to art programs. (And for those of you who want to do art projects with kids just for the fun of it, special art lessons can provide hours and hours of creative fun!)

We know that integrating art in education will greatly expand the minds of children. It will boost their self-esteem, and even make learning other subjects a little easier.

Prepared art lesson plans will help you enrich and reinforce all aspects of an art program at school, or art projects at home, and make teaching and learning more fun for you and your children or students.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Author Alberta S. Johnson is an art educator who understands the importance of art lessons in schools and at home.  Her company, K6ArtLessonPlans.com makes fully-planned art lessons available to educators and parents on a weekly basis.  For more information, and to get a free art lesson, visit http://www.k6artlessonplans.com .