Art is a vital aspect of a young child's life and comes in a variety of forms. In a child's perspective, every little thing is considered a work of art. When a child works hard to accomplish something, especially for the first time, they are so proud of themselves and look up to us adults for appreciation. Children learn through their experiences and work towards improvement. Whether it comes down to music, art projects, playing outdoors, cooking, building with blocks, working a puzzle, or dramatic play, art is involved in every aspect of their lives and they learn different skills through accomplishing each one.
Music is enjoyed by children of all ages, whether it is making up new lyrics to favorite tunes, sing-along, or any cooperative activity. Music is the universal language and children enjoy both listening to music and inventing their own. Learning to move your body through space in tune to the music or pretending to be a falling object is a creative way to touch a child's imagination and bring out their artistic side. Music helps a child learn by connecting the outer world of movement and noise with the inner world of observations and feelings. A childs approach to learning music is similar to that of learning a language - by listening, observing, acting, and imitating. Finger play is also a good exercise when singing along to certain tunes. Finger play promotes fine-motor skills, language development, hand and eye coordination, as well as self-esteem. Prereading skills are also developed through listening to music as well as rhythmic patterns of words. Children pick up on differences between loud and soft, fast and slow, one at a time and together, etc. When allowed, they try new instruments while learning the sound differences and variation between each one. Not only is music a creative moment that expands a child's imagination, but also an exciting method of physical fitness and an important goal of development.
The Dream Yet to be Realized. Almost fifty years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court declared, in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, that laws separating the races in school are unconstitutional. Hundreds of lawsuits later, black and white students were bused back and forth to desegregated schools in cities across the United States. ...