People create art for a variety of reasons, including to express themselves, to exhibit publicly, or to bring in an income. But why should children learn to draw, especially at a time when the focus of many educators is moving back to the basics – reading, writing, and math?

Of course, studying art helps some students find a hidden ability and develop their special talent. It also helps them develop their fine motor skills. But beyond that, there are two main reasons why I encourage kids to draw and paint.

1. Art helps children discover the joy of creating. We live in an age of technology, where many kids spend large amounts of time in front of computers, televisions, or video games. Their tendency is to sit and watch. However, we were created to create, and today, especially, young people need opportunities to stimulate their imaginations.
2. When you help your children learn to draw, you are helping to develop his or her self-esteem and self-confidence. What a great feeling for a child to be able to say, “Look what I did!” or “I can draw that!” I have seen my students and my own children gain a sense of accomplishment when they step back and look at what they have been able to do.

How can you get your student involved in art? The obvious answer seems to be art lessons, but if time or finances are limited, don’t worry! As you can see from my story, there are lots of other ways to learn these days.

And as your child delves into art, you might find some reasons to start drawing too! Perhaps you just love to draw and paint. I can sit for hours until a piece is finished and truly say I had a good time. Maybe you enjoy sharing your art with others, giving away drawings and paintings as personal gifts.

As a Christian, I’ve found yet another reason to create, explained  by Dr. Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed in central Florida. I’ve received permission by Dr. Hunter to include portions of the sermon on this site, and I invite you to read A Christian View of Art.

Photo by Anita Peppers