Art and creativity play a significant role in your child’s early development. Many children use art as a form of expression, with various types of art revealing children’s thoughts, interests, and feelings. In fact, many children communicate ideas through dance and bodily expression. If parents learn how to interpret their child’s artistic language, they can glimmer into their child’s inner world.
While art and creativity are beneficial to children at any age, early childhood is the most advantageous stage to teach artistic disciplines. Studies show that participating in creative and artistic activities when children are young helps them learn other subjects like math and reading. Children also easily retain information when they’re young as their brain soaks up new information like sponges. That’s why at Frogbridge Day Camp, we focus on including a variety of creative and artistic activities for children starting at age three.
Literature Enhances Children’s Cognitive Skills
Learning to love reading as an adult isn’t easy. Most adults who enjoy reading every day usually read often as a child. There are few experiences in the world that are so enriching as reading to your children. When you read stories to your child, it enhances many cognitive skills, such as:
- Language
- Imagination
- Memory
Books and stories can transport a young mind to a new world, so reading feels more fun than a chore. As a parent, if you share stories with your child from a young age, combining books into their free time when they’re older will be much easier. Your child will no doubt learn how to read at school, but they must also read at home for this ability to truly develop.
Painting & Drawing Develops a Child’s Personality
Learning how to paint and draw at a young age plays a significant role in a child’s maturity and personality development. These tasks advance excellent motor skills, creativity, reading, writing, and self-esteem. Many children express their emotions and how they’re feeling through their paintings and drawings before they speak about them.
To inspire your child’s inherent creativity, allow your child opportunities at home to paint and draw. Whether your child leans toward paints, clays, or crayons, provide the necessary materials so they can let their imagination run free. To create outside the box, let your child play with materials other than paper, like cardboard, canvases, chalkboards, or even chalk on the outdoor sidewalk!
Theatre Teaches Important Values
When children are involved in theatre, they use their imagination to put themselves in another character’s shoes. It helps them think about how others might feel in experiences vastly different from their own, teaching children respect, empathy, and open-mindedness. Bodily expression and social interaction found in theatre help children learn to carry themselves with confidence as they grow.
At Frogbridge Day Camp, children can participate in a variety of performing arts activities that includes a show unlike any other through our TheatreWorks program. Letting children’s imaginations soar using bodily expression in theatre helps children express themselves. Maria Montessori, the famous philosopher and educator, has noted:
“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.”
Explore Creative & Performing Arts at Frogbridge Day Camp
At Frogbridge Day Camp, we focus on fostering children’s artistic and creative sides with a variety of creative and performing arts, like painting, ceramics, arts & crafts, drama, and more. We invite you to discover all the educational, fun, and exciting activities we offer children young and old alike by visiting and seeing for yourself the Frogbridge Difference. We offer daily personal tours throughout the year! Complete an online contact form or call our office at (609) 438-8275 to schedule yours today!
While the school year starts back up the same as it does every year, things aren’t quite back to normal. Sending your kids back to school while COVID-19 continues to spread requires a shift in the way things are done. One thing that makes getting through the pandemic easier is the extra time spent with family and getting outside to enjoy the great outdoors. Nature has a calming effect on adults and children, and few things are more fun than exploring all that nature has to offer together as a family.
An increasing number of studies have pointed to the considerable benefits that a good dose of Vitamin-N (for nature) has on the body. Lower stress levels, better focus, a more positive attitude, and more. Below, we lay out some of our top favorite nature activities to help you and your family get through the pandemic—all while social distancing—to help make the best of a difficult situation.