Developing childrens’ critical thinking skills through arts — from thetechedvocate.org by Matthew Lynch
Excerpt:
By nature, children are curious, and art seeks to exploit this positively so that the child can better express themselves. Art provides a practical learning experience, allowing the child to create solutions they see fit through their art projects. Children are able to create an ideal environment for themselves, determine what is ideal and what is not, and what is good and what is bad. Through this, children enhance their capacity to think critically and solve solutions to their hypothetical problems.
Through art, children are boundless and are free to make their own choices, unlike in a subject like math, where everything is pretty much definite and predetermined. They are allowed to make their observations and project them in the best way they know. Through teaching arts, learners have a better understanding and appreciation for art itself, the people that create as well as different cultures. Art also helps to instill values such as tolerance, discipline, and empathy. It allows for reflection, which is an important element of critical thinking.