Drawing is an important activity that promotes brain development.
Children's drawing is an important element of sensitivity education and a powerful tool that supports children's multifaceted development, including cognition, emotion, creativity, and sociality. Through drawing, children can understand the world, express emotions, develop creative thinking, and promote brain development. From the perspective of sensitivity education, drawing is an important activity that should be incorporated into daily life.
The ability to draw is the ability to grow.
Drawing for Children Develops the Brain and Mind
The relationship between children's drawing and aesthetic education has been studied from a wide range of perspectives, including psychology, cognitive science, and developmental education.
「子どもの未来は、5歳までに育まれる」ノーベル賞経済学者が明かした“非認知能力”の力。
ノーベル経済学賞を受賞したジェームズ・J・ヘックマン教授は、「子供は5歳までが大事」という主張を裏付ける研究を数多く発表している 。特に2006年に学術誌『Science』に掲載された論文「Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children」は、非認知能力の重要性を広く認知させるきっかけとなった 。
ヘックマン教授の研究は、幼児期、特に5歳までの教育が子供の将来に与える影響の大きさを示しており、非認知能力の育成が重要であることを強調している。これらの成果は、教育政策や家庭での子育てにおいて、早期教育の重要性を再認識させるものです。
Cognitive development and drawing
Children's drawing plays an important role in the development of cognitive abilities, spatial awareness, and problem-solving skills. According to developmental psychologists such as Jean Piaget, children's cognitive development progresses in stages, and drawing activities are an important means of promoting the development of symbolic thinking and imagery abilities, especially in the "preoperational stage" (approximately 2 to 7 years old). Children understand the world and organize their thoughts by visually expressing invisible concepts.
Developing sensitivity and creativity
Drawing is strongly related to the development of sensitivity. Sensuous education is a part of education that enhances the ability to perceive beauty, balance, shape and color through the five senses: sight, hearing and touch. Through the process of children choosing colors and shapes and expressing themselves freely, they can relate their inner feelings and experiences to the outside world and develop creative thinking. Drawing as a part of sensitivity education also serves as a tool to foster creativity.
Emotional Development and Self-Expression
Psychologist Lev Vygotsky has shown that children's drawings are important as emotional expressions. When children have difficulty expressing their feelings or experiences in words, they often express their emotions through drawings, which promotes emotional development. Drawing is also known to contribute to stress reduction and psychological self-regulation, which is also attracting attention as part of sensitivity education.
Manual dexterity and brain development
Drawing develops fine motor skills because it requires fine motor movement and control. This activates the prefrontal cortex (the area responsible for thinking and decision-making) and motor cortex of the brain, promoting perceptual and physical development. In this way, drawing activities contribute to the development of the entire brain.
Relation to social and cultural context
Sensitivity education is also a process for deepening social understanding while reflecting each child's individual experience and cultural background. Drawing also functions as a means of communication with others, and through dialogue with other children and adults, children develop the ability to understand the perspectives of others. This also enhances social skills and cooperation.
Art Therapy
Drawing not only serves as a form of emotional education, but also as art therapy. Art therapy is considered an effective way to relieve children's anxiety and stress, organize their emotions, and bring about psychological stability. In this way, emotional education and drawing are deeply connected to mental health and emotional development.