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Speaking anatomically, the two halves of the brain are separately responsible for the different activities that we regularly perform. When a student is put into a STEM curriculum, only the left half needs to function. All the logical and analytical reasoning happens there and the right half almost sits idle. However, when STEM makes way for STEAM, the “A” naturally means Arts, the right side wakes up as well as that is where the creative hub is. Thus, for the all-round development of the mind, children need to engage in STEAM rather than only STEM. And the other benefits of STEAM education are undeniable as well.
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Why Arts Education is necessary?
Arts in schools is not merely about painting a picture. An institution that understands the intricacies of what is STEAM education and why is it important will put your children through a carefully designed arts curriculum that will include visual, performance, and expressive arts. Thus, along with painting, your children will have the scope to indulge in drama, music, social sciences, and learn a new language. And all of these combined lead to the proper development of any growing student.
The first outright benefit of indulging in arts is physical development. When your children dance or play instruments, they practice and master the finer motor skills like moving precisely to a tune or quickly changing finger positions to play a chord. The common forms of physical activities like sports or exercise take care of the larger motor skills like running or walking but finer motor skills can receive their deserved tuning only through arts.
The next importance of art education in primary school is about performance. Learning in a STEM curriculum requires effort. Your children will have to spend a considerable amount of mental energy to understand a complex scientific concept or solve a mathematical problem. And just like any energy bank, your children will also require a way to replenish their mental energy. This is where art is so important. All humans are creative by nature and we do not have to exert effort to be creative. While indulging in arts, children get their required rest and become better equipped for another STEM session. Evidently, their performance improves drastically.
Lastly, and probably the best answer to why is STEAM important in early childhood education, arts add the element of innovation to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which are pure facts without creativity. With STEAM, children become innovative thinkers. Instead of just procuring impressive grades, they come up with new ideas. Innovation is ultimately going to be the most sought-after skill of the future and only STEAM can bring about that ability among children.
STEM to STEAM is the way forward
And as parents, you need to acknowledge this transformation. It is definitely acceptable that you encourage your child to focus on the STEM subjects. Maybe even guide them towards a technical career. But at no point can you refute the benefits of STEAM education. The effects of indulging in Arts are real. It is necessary for the physical and psychological development of your child. Education is truly complete when Arts get the same ground as the STEM topics.
