HOW fun is school for your kids? Are there subjects your kids find harder to learn than others? For the past two weeks, I’ve been sharing my passion for art-infused learning. Last week I shared my belief that whether a kid was inherently inclined to math isn’t important. What’s essential is the gradual buildup of interest. I believe art, play and family encouragement were critical in developing my kids’ love for math. I believe this extends to other school subjects, as well.
At age 4, I remember liking abstracts more than facts. I found memorizing things, even spelling words, quite stressful. After a half-day’s school, I remember my afternoons spent in clay and paint. And it was not that I excelled in art class, it was the “freedom” of spilling things and using my hands. Looking back, I may have been a visual and tactile learner.
When my first child was born, I focused a lot on sensory development exercises. As I continued these activities until age 3, I gradually discovered what type of learners my kids were. (I will share identifying types of learners in my future articles.) I discovered my daughter was a visual and auditory learner; and my son was more a tactile learner.
When it came to subject learning, my kids were stubborn to say the least. They didn’t sit still and were pretty vocal when they didn’t like the subject matter at hand. Meagan, in particular, was very distracted to say the least.
I remember when Meagan was in Kinder 2, she needed to learn a poem. She really couldn’t get it and both of us were becoming frustrated. Then, I remembered that she likes pictures in flash cards. I tried to do the sentences in pictures, then showed her my drawings. She calmed down. She slowly memorized each line through drawings.
When Marcus was Kinder 1, he didn’t like to study Chinese at all. He was uneasy pronouncing the words. We took a break from studying and I told him we would just play. Because I knew he liked to learn while using his hands, we cut out pieces of paper together in squares. Then I just challenged him to draw out the vocabulary he was learning. I wrote the Chinese words on the other pieces of paper. Then we played a picture-matching type of game.
Because of these experiences, I realized how art “eased” my kids’ learning process. I constantly ask what they’re learning in school. After that, I go to the arts-and-crafts or game aisle of my favorite bookstore and see what we could do during Saturday game nights to supplement learning in a fun way. I never told them about this. I simply told them it was the game or activity mommy chose.
Today, one of Marcus’s favorite subjects is Chinese. I was surprised that he actually got a 100 in his report card last school year. Meagan has learned to do her art-infused learning on her own. Today, she does this to deepen her knowledge on a subject matter that interests her. She mixes technology, books and art to research and “relax”. We also use art-infused techniques now to do practical things like alphabetizing.
Below are other activities you can look at to encourage art-infused learning at home:
Why do I believe so strongly in art-infused learning?
- I believe that art helps my kids gain 21st-century skills in creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. Art allows them to discover new and original ways to think and do things. Through art, kids are able to express thoughts freely and effectively. And when art is done in projects, kids learn how to cooperate with others to arrive at a desired output.
- I believe that most Filipinos are naturally creative. If art can be infused in core subjects, I’m sure we will love learning math as much as we love art. In the long run, I believe we’ll be able to discover unique and creative solutions to bring about true progress.
- Last, I believe in relaxed learning. I believe art allowed me to get my hands dirty and ease my mind. I saw how when my kids were stressed with schoolwork, art was that membrane that glued knowledge and possibility. I found my kids learning with less force, more fluidity and a natural consequence of increased capacity.
Happy art-infused learning, everyone.