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Creative and artistic pursuits help a child’s brain develop connections that will benefit them throughout the rest of their lives. Put scientifically, neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections used for learning and healing following a brain injury – is achieved through exposure to the arts. Whether it is music, dancing, visual art, or some other creative pursuit, a child’s participation in the arts will quite literally benefit them for the rest of their lives, even long after they have stopped actively pursuing it.
This may come as a surprise: an adult’s psychological resilience has been linked to their exposure to the creative arts as a child. Even as they make their way through elementary and high school, studies support the importance of art. Many medical schools require art courses as part of the medical curriculum, noting that performing arts, music, literature, and the visual arts “build critical thinking, observation, communication, bias awareness, and empathy skills that science just can’t provide.”
How does this have anything to do with grandparenting? Because one of the best ways grandparents can support their grandchildren is by participating in arts activities with them. You could participate in an activity–painting, singing, going to a museum. Or, you could be the chauffeur! Hear me out, there are a ton of benefits to your grandchildren, your children, and to you when you step in to ferry grandkids to various afterschool activities.
In addition to being a huge help to the parents, there is nothing quite as special as the time you spend supporting your grandchildren just by being there. I remember my grandmother picking my sister and me up from school and driving us to piano or dance lessons as a child. I remember her sitting proudly in the stands, watching me play my trumpet with the high school marching band. I remember her being at every dance recital, ready to take us out to ice cream afterward. She sat in the pew at church, beaming as we sang or played our instruments in front of the congregation. My parents separated when I was pretty young. By the time I was seven or eight, my mom was trying to take care of us by herself, often requiring her to work nights and weekends. It felt like my grandma was there, part of almost every activity. It never occurred to me that she was helping my mom. In my childish way, I just assumed she just wanted to give up her free time to take us everywhere.
Some of the best conversations I had with my grandmother were in her car on the way to whatever lesson or performance I was headed to that day. That kind of love and interest in me was priceless. Not only did it give me confidence, but it also gave me a sense of stability. When the phrase “latchkey kids” was coined, my sister and I weren’t those kids. We had our grandma.
The role of grandparents has morphed over the years. Families don’t always stay put, and grandparents can be too far away to be physically involved in daily activities. But for those who remain geographically close, participating in the afterschool activities of grandchildren benefits all members of the family.
My grandma has been gone now for about 17 years. But she continues to be a part of my daily life because of those hours she spent with me, shuttling me everywhere I needed to be. I hope that my grandkids will look back on these days with similar warmth and love.
TRICIA VLASAK is a mother, grandparent, and wife. She works in law enforcement when she isn’t writing about parenting, hiking with her dogs, or going on adventures.