Stimulating the Mind through Creativity

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The mind of a young child is in constant need of creative stimulation, which is so crucial and is developmentally beneficial in so many ways. Not only can art-making boost a child’s creative skills but it also helps them to develop other lifelong abilities such as problem solving, decision making and interpretation. It is always such a pleasure to watch children create art and experience the creative process.

The Art Studio in CMoR helps children every day by allowing them to create a voice for themselves through making art. I often stand and watch them and it always puts a smile on my face…particularly when the parents are just as engrossed in a project as the children are. It is so important to allow a child to interpret art in their own way just as we as adults would do. For instance, I encourage parents to allow their child to paint a purple sun and reward them with a “Wow- how great you decided to paint your sun purple instead of yellow…I love it” as opposed to correcting them, telling them they made a mistake that the sun is yellow and not purple. Art is meant to make both children and adults alike think outside of the box.

Mistakes are also always okay in creating art which is yet another important lesson for parents and teachers. It is often the mistakes that lead to a masterpiece and mistakes are always able to be fixed, however, encouraging a child to work with what they perceive to be a mistake will encourage creative thinking and appreciation of their process. As a painter myself, I have often made mistakes that have lead to amazing outcomes that wouldn’t have happened without the mistakes!
Art wears many hats and offers an opportunity for children to experience various methods of creating. In the art studio here at CMoR we offer many different mediums so that children can be introduced to making art with different mediums and objects, therefore choosing their own creative process. As the famous artist Jackson Pollock once said of creating art, “It’s all a big game of construction; some choose a brush, some choose a shovel, some choose a pen.”

By stimulating a child’s mind through art and the creative process, we can ensure that certain skills will continue with them in upcoming years and as an adult….and hopefully as adults they will recognize the importance of art and creativity as vital parts of their child or any child’s development!

-Meredith Timberlake, Director of Art