Researchers say there's reason to believe music stimulates
your infant's brain, dance helps develop motor skills, and drama teaches
emotions and problem solving.
"The arts are a thinking tool, a way for children to
communicate understanding and misunderstandings and confront them," says
Margie Carter, an early childhood specialist who has co-authored many books,
including Training Teachers: A Harvest of Theory and Practice.
"If you
turn an idea into a drawing or sculpture, you can figure out things you'd never
figure out if you just try to explain. The purpose of the arts goes way beyond
creativity and imagination."
Exposure to the arts is a critical school readiness
component.
School is so much more than reading, writing and arithmetic,
acting can help children learn about self-control, empathy or even bullying. It
is a way to problem solve, to learn to deal with frustrations, conflict
resolving and social situations.
Drama and storytelling are good ways to help increase a
child's vocabulary, A 3-year-old can get up and act like an animal; other
children can describe what they see. And a child who is performing must
remember what step comes first. It enhances mental organization.
Music, as well as the visual arts, drama and dance, give us
insight into the way a child's mind works, They show us what kids
understand. We should build upon those as another form of literacy.
The answer to the question is, never.
Culled from www.parentmap.com
