Could arts and crafts improve your child’s memory?

[Timothy Gangwer]

Could arts and crafts improve your child’s memory?

Studies have shown that arts and crafts are not only good for your child’s social/emotional development but cognitive development as well.

January 29, 2022

Are you looking for ways to enhance your child’s memory and visual learning? According to research, arts and crafts provide your child with a unique, fun opportunity to learn and improve their memory.

Who would have thought that enjoying a crafty hobby or taking art classes could protect your child’s memory?

Have you ever considered why art and crafts are so beneficial to a child’s development? For children aged between three and eight years old, arts and crafts can be instrumental in healthy growth and development. That’s why they do so much of it at nursery school and primary school.

According to research, participating in arts and craft activities from an early age may delay the development of memory problems that often lead to dementia later on in life.

Studies support the idea that engaging the mind may protect neurons, or the building blocks of the brain, from dying, stimulate the growth of new neurons, or may help recruit new neurons to maintain cognitive activities your child can use in their adult years.

Other physical benefits of arts and crafts for children include:

The development of fine motor skills

Because most arts and crafts activities require moving the hands and fingers, they aid in the development of fine motor abilities. Simple activities such as colouring with pencils or using a paintbrush help to strengthen and control the muscles.

Improvement of hand-eye coordination

Hand-eye coordination improves dramatically when children participate in arts and crafts activities from a young age. Hand-eye coordination will help your child make letters or space out words when they start primary school.

Sharpens skills of decision making

A child will learn to make correct and effective decisions by facing and solving artistic challenges. This helps to develop a problem-solving attitude, which in turn, will help them in the future.

Improves your child’s visual processing skills

Your child’s brain uses visual processing skills to make sense of the world around them. Your child’s learning may take longer if visual processing skills are not developed, demanding more cognitive effort and slowing down the learning process. Through engaging with arts and crafts, children memorise patterns, shapes, and colours, which can help them prepare for arithmetic, reading, and writing.