In light of our shifting educational priorities and, in many places, shrinking school budgets, are there still persuasive arguments to be made for the importance of visual arts as a core school subject for kids?
Drawing something on a piece of paper releases lots of tension from our mind. In our childhood we all used to draw on paper, wall or just scribble anywhere. Art is a fantastic subject. It is taught to children of young age up until secondary school. No matter what age you are of or level of skill possessed, anybody can create a piece of artwork. It is a great thing to build on the creativity of a child’s mind as s/he grows and expand across various areas of the curriculum.
For students who think they cannot necessarily express themselves, art is a medium through which this can be achieved. Added to the fact that it is a hobby for many, drawing and painting can also be a therapeutic. Exploring this subject at a young age will help them to nurture the hidden creativity. In the recent times, creative drawing is an added skill that can boost up your curriculum records. In all career paths, creative and open-minded lot is highly desired for the growth of the organization. Creative education increases the future quality of the local and global community.
Apart from being a leisure activity, art strengthens focus and increases attention, develops hand-eye coordination, requires practice and strategic thinking, and involves interacting with the material world through different tools and art mediums. A child’s ability to visualize objects in multiple dimensions are also a critical skill that gets nurtured through this form of education. The expression of complex feelings can be beautifully sketched and it helps the kids to feel better about them. The movie ‘TaareZameen Par’ depicts this amazingly though the story of the life of a dyslexic child. The child while being miserable in his academics, much to the chagrin of his teachers and parents could use his creativity in expressing his mind and soul, under the able guidance of his teacher and thereafter astounded everyone around him through his imagination and communication through the medium of art.
Visual arts as well as other arts are an excellent discipline that can be implemented in the CBSE curriculum to build and utilize the critical thinking skills of the students. Art is often treated as something separate from the core subjects. Including arts in the core subjects would help one to wrestle with the otherwise rigorous core contents. Art is a lighthearted area and often relieve the stress. Being creative is a lifelong skill and can be used in everyday situations.
Like with other subjects, there are avenues that are available to children to fortify their understanding of their academics further through NCERT textbook solutions and other such avenues, a creative activity is left to the individual to practice and perfect. Students can also undertake external coaching available through neighborhood classes to excel in the technique of art. However, it is finally the student who needs to practice since in this form of education there are no analytical requirements and the skill enhancement can only be achieved through consistent practice.