arts education Archives - Monterey Bay Parent

Lights, Cameras, Action: Five Reasons for Kids to Participate in Theater

By Monterey Bay Parent Editors | August 28, 2023

If you have a child with a flair for the dramatic, who loves to sing and dance, or wants to be part of a team without playing sports, theater may be the answer you are looking for. Participating in theater can expose kids to music, arts, culture, teamwork and more. Most of the benefits of participating in theater help them in school now. Here are 5 reasons that kids should give theater a try.

1. Teamwork. There are so many different aspects that go into a theater production such as actors, musicians, sound technicians, set building, backstage hands, costume design, and more. The entire group must work as a team to bring the production together, which is no small task. Kids will learn about teamwork in a whole new way by participating in theater. Another great benefit is that they will most likely build some friendships along the way.

2. Communication. Kids will learn confidence in public speaking, voice projection, memorization of lines, and how to confidently carry themselves in front of a crowd. Kids gain confidence by meeting the challenge of performing in front of others and meeting the goal of a successful production with the support of their fellow cast members and production directors.

3. Empathy. As kids examine how the character they play in the production responds and reacts emotionally to situations they naturally learn empathy for others. This is a great skill to have because it helps kids relate to others and understand why people react the way they do in a variety of situations.

4. Responsibility. Kids participating in theater will have to memorize their lines, speak them with confidence, and perform them in order to contribute to the production as a whole. They will also have to maintain any other responsibilities at home, school, and other extracurricular activities. Kids will learn to prioritize, organize, and be held accountable for their role in the production.

5. Cultural appreciation. Theater exposes kids to literature, history, music, culture, and the arts making kids more well-rounded. They will become deeply immersed in stories and times in history that they may not be exposed to any other way. These stories will truly come alive as they play roles, dress in costume, and literally act out stories from a different time and place.

Theater gives kids an opportunity to express themselves in a unique way that helps them build confidence and responsibility. They will benefit from the skills they build now and in years to come. If performing on stage is not a great fit for your child but they still respect and enjoy the arts, try contributing to the production by designing sets, running the sound booth or lights, or working behind the scenes. Theater truly offers a little something for everyone.

Sarah Lyons is a mom of six kids including 9-year-old triplets. Her kids enjoy many activities including theater and dance.

Encouraging Creativity in Children

By Tricia Vlasak | August 28, 2023

Every generation has noteworthy artists musicians, painters, and authors who leave a legacy for those who come after them. Most of these talented individuals showed an affinity for their art at a young age. Someone saw something in them and fostered the development of their talent. But the fact is, a child doesn’t need to be an artistic prodigy to benefit from learning creativity. According to Psychology Today, children identified as creative at seven later showed better educational attainment and career success. Keep in mind that creativity doesn’t always manifest as artistic expression. It often shows in how a child resolves an issue, expresses themselves, or plays. Creative people are better problem-solvers, more resilient, and generally happier. So, what can we do to foster creativity in our children?

Give your children the gift of unstructured time. Sounds simple. Our lives are so scheduled, with every minute accounted for or directed. But creativity takes the freedom of time. Unstructured, relaxed time unfettered by adult direction. Provide them with tools to foster creativity: books, writing tools, building blocks, a keyboard, and percussion instruments. Take a walk together and talk about what you see. Let older kids play with their friends without adult interference or hovering supervision. Kids who are allowed to problem-solve, role play, make up games, etc., as a group learns to be creative thinkers.

Give children the chance to explore. Often, as parents, we focus on the finished product. The clean room. The drawing. The essay. But especially in young children, creativity is actually in the process, not the product. Allowing children the freedom to express themselves is critical to becoming creative. For example, technique is less important when a child paints than intuition. Letting them use their fingers, a sponge, or the bottom of a cup rather than a brush may be what sparks their imagination. Or give a child who loves photos an age-appropriate camera and let them take photos of whatever moves them: no framing, no particular subject, no directions – just freedom.

Help children learn to fail. Creative people fail—a lot. Kids who can make mistakes and fail can learn how to bounce back and try again. Kids afraid to fail end up “staying between the lines,” which makes people inflexible. Make sure your children know they can be imperfect in their expression. For kids and adults, failure can teach you what not to do. It can help you decide what you liked and didn’t like about your process. The best creations come from the failures that preceded them. Thomas Edison said it best: “I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Accept a child’s work as it is. When a child does present you with a finished product, accept it. Don’t try to correct it or change it. Don’t try to make it anything else but what it is – the child’s expression when they complete the project. Encourage them to keep trying new things, but don’t correct what they’ve already done. Get them to talk about their process and what they thought or felt while creating it.

Model creativity. As with almost every aspect of parenting, being a good model of what you want in your children is the best way to teach it. So make sure you allow yourself to be creative. Think outside the box. Create an environment in your home that encourages the expression of ideas. Spend plenty of time talking, and make sure your kids know it’s okay not to agree with each other on how to solve a problem. Most of all, take time to pursue your passions, whether writing, sewing, or working out. Have your own interests, and encourage your kids to have theirs, too.

TRICIA VLASAK works in law enforcement when she isn’t writing about parenting, hiking with her dogs, or going on adventures with her grandchildren. Tricia received a Gold Award for personal essay from Parenting Media Association in 2022.

Crafty Families

By Monterey Bay Parent Editors | August 23, 2021

Parent/child art projects offer children and parents many benefits. Even short periods of creative time impact social, cognitive, and emotional development of children. Plus, you’re creating long-lasting memories. While it’s certainly good to give your child some paper and crayons and let them have some creative alone time, it’s also extremely beneficial to spend time creating art together. You don’t have to think of yourself as artistic to spent time in art-making with your child, this is just as much of a learning experience for the parent as the child. Let your inner child out and explore!

According to art therapist Vicky Armstrong who is a postgraduate researcher in Psychology “the art-making process encourages behaviors that build strong relationships, such as eye contact, pleasant touch, shared goals, responsiveness. You may notice during art-making that there is lots of joint attention – where you both look at the same thing together. This helps with social skills, such as language and perspective-taking, and feeling connected.”

As you’re working together with your child, remember that your job as a parent is to encourage and reinforce effort rather than focus on the outcome.

It’s clear from the research that praising children for their effort, not the quality of the final product is important. Childhood education professionals advise against complimenting your child’s artwork with phrases like “it’s beautiful” and instead advise parents to focus their attention on the process of creating the art.

If you don’t already have a “creativity kit” it’s time to put one together. You don’t need anything fancy. Get a sturdy plastic or cardboard box and fill it with basic art supplies like crayons, markers, non-toxic paint, paint brushes, safety scissors, a variety of papers, chalk, and white glue. Consider adding household items to your kit: common items like empty paper towel rolls, cotton balls, and paper plates can be used for fun projects. Your first project can be decorating your creativity box!

Projects can be simple: using household items to stamp paint onto paper, mixing colors to make new ones, drawing simple shapes. Experiment and have fun together.

Supporting your child’s creativity and spending time together is what’s important. Years from now it won’t matter what was created, what will make the biggest difference is the time you spend together.