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Parent Corner for Parents of Middle School Students

Tweens and the Arts - For Learning and for Joy
Considering the busy pace most middle schoolers keep, the idea of squeezing a few more activities into their days might seem downright impossible. Yet, making time to fit in activities like music, visual and creative art, dance and movement can benefit your children in ways you might never have imagined.

What the arts can do for children
Research backs up what teachers and parents often know instinctively-the more opportunities children of all ages have to express themselves in creative, age-appropriate ways, the better they do with their studies, the more personal interests they develop, the better they understand the world they live in and the more sensitive and caring they're likely to become.

Here are some other ways the arts can benefit children:
The arts develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills that can improve students' overall academic achievement and school success. These are also skills that employers say make successful workers.

• Practice with creative drama has been shown to improve learning-disabled students' behavior and speaking skills.

• Students who are very involved with theater also show high levels of achievement in reading.

• Students who are very involved with instrumental music also show high achievement in math.

• When middle schoolers were allowed to use drawing and writing on history assessments, they showed a deeper understanding of the topic. This was true for both English language-proficient and English-limited students.

• Teen boys who were considered "reluctant readers" showed more interest in reading when the content was linked with art, for example, art found in graphic novels and cartoons.
  (Compiled from research by Americans for the Arts at www.americansforthearts.org)

Though the days of fingerpainting and singing the ABCs may seem long gone, there are many fun and easy ways for you to incorporate a healthy dose of the arts into your children's lives.

Here are some ideas to try:

• Tap into what interests them most. If they're all about anime, a book like How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 1: Basics for Beginners and Beyond by Tadashi Ozawa can teach them how to draw the characters they love to read about. If hip-hop's what they listen to, a class in hip-hop dance can expand their interests while giving them a healthy workout.

• Help children learn about art forms that were created by artists/performers of their own ethnic or racial heritage and about family members who have a particular artist talent. This is a great way to teach them personal and global history and to possibly spark a new interest.

• Use the computer for creating, not just chatting. There are many wonderful online resources that teach about art and artists and let children create with their computers. At www.kids.gov/k_arts.htm you'll find many interactive tween-friendly sites to try.

• Play music you love and listen to the music that your children love, too. Even if it's not your taste, listening to the music your kids are into can teach you a lot about what matters to them. Music can be a great conversation-starter and a way to build connections (e.g., "You know, this sounds a little like a band I listened to when I was your age. Let me play some of that music for you.") The public library is a great resource for music-new, vintage and world beat-for you and your children to explore.

• During the middle school years, children are learning a lot about who they are. Journals and sketchpads can give them a safe place to try their hand at poetry, to record their deep thoughts in colorful language and to sketch their dreams. Make sure to provide a collection of writing and drawing tools, such as gel pens, colored pencils and pastels.

• Expand your art library. Borrow or invest in a few good books on famous and popular art for your family library and/or bookmark any of the many online museums: www.jpbowen.com/children/#museums and www.museumspot.com/categories/kids.htm are a couple of family-friendly sites to link to.

• There are many biographies on the lives of artists of all types that can be an inspiration for your own budding artists. At local booksellers and online at www.kidsart.com, you'll find books and other media that will introduce your children to the artists they love.

• Watch recorded and live art performances. Local high schools, colleges and other performance spaces host live dramatic performances. Check the local newspaper for upcoming events. Public television and the local library are also good resources for pre-recorded art performances to view at home.

• Practice photography. During the middle school years, some children find it more comfortable to express their creativity from behind the lens, rather than out in front. Inexpensive disposable cameras that they can tuck into backpacks and purses can be great tools for photographic expression.

• Summer art camp activities can expand their interests. There are so many creative, dramatic and musical art experiences for children during the summer months. Talk with your children's guidance counselors and/or check the listings in local newspapers for summer art camps and workshops aimed at young teens.

For permission to reprint this article, please contact the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service by e-mail us at dbushsuf@gw.neric.org.

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