Many parents introduce creative arts to their children as a way to have fun and play. 

While creative arts like painting, drawing, sculpting, and building do offer fun ways for children to play, they also provide many other benefits, especially in early childhood. Even better, there are numerous creative art ideas and activities for kids, so you can ensure that your child always has something fun to keep them entertained and growing.

Here’s why creative arts are so important for kids:

• Cognitive Development - One of the reasons that creative arts are so important for children is because they help with cognitive development. Kids build skills and abilities like learning cause and effect, patterning, planning, and other types of critical thinking.
• Fine Motor Skills - Another benefit of creative arts is that they help children develop fine motor skills through holding and manipulating art supplies like paintbrushes, markers, pencils, crayons, and chalk. Developing these fine motor muscles will help children later on with things like writing, using tools, typing, and more.
• Math Skills - Creative arts also introduce children to mathematical concepts and strategies that can form the basis for their understanding of math later on. In art, children often interact with different shapes, sizes, numbers, and spaces, which can help them start making comparisons, learn to count, and use reasoning skills.
• Language Skills - Another benefit of creative arts for children is the development of their language skills. When creating art, kids learn how to describe what they’ve made, the intention behind it, and why they chose to make it that way. This helps them learn how to talk as well as develop their vocabulary.
• Learning About Themselves and Connecting With Others - Creative arts are also beneficial to children because they allow kids to explore their feelings, how they view the world, how they view others, and how they view themselves. This helps with children’s emotional development as they understand themselves better and can even lead to their connecting with other kids who have similar feelings, ideas, and views.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta aim to serve the children in our communities, especially as students return to schools for in-person learning. One of the ways we do this is through our afterschool programs which provide homework help, fitness activities, workforce development, literacy activities, and more. Each of our clubs provides kids with a safe place to play, learn, exercise, and receive nutritious foods. Find out how you can get involved with our organization by signing your child up for a club or afterschool program, making a donation, or volunteering to help our cause today!