7 Benefits of Painting for Kids

Painting is an activity that all kids love to indulge in. Be it at home or school, kids love to paint and create beautiful paintings.  

The age of the child does not even matter at this instance. Children of all ages enjoy painting.

Painting gives them a chance to use their creativity and produce something out of their imagination.

When a child uses their creativity during childhood, it works as a building block for great innovations that can help that child become successful in the future.

And the best thing about painting is that it has a host of physical health and mental health benefits that help in the overall development of a child.

Stated below are seven benefits of painting for kids—      

1. Painting Aids in Cognitive Development.

Cognitive development of a child encompasses elements like the abilities of concentration, focus, problem solving, colour recognition and spatial awareness.

When children spend their time painting, they choose the colours they want to paint with, they choose the shapes and objects they want to paint, and also the whole composition of the painting.

Having the freedom to make these decisions gives them a chance to use their own minds to think and solve little problems.

It trains them to think and solve their own problems later in life.

Since painting involves colours, mixing those colours to get new ones, shapes, and how everything is related, it helps in colour recognition and spatial awareness.

And since painting can’t be rushed, you have to give it time, painting improves focus and concentration as well.

Cognitive development is one of the most important benefits of painting for children.  

2. Painting Supports Motor Skill Development.

You might have heard that painting helps in the development of motor skills in a child.

So, how does painting help a child's physical development? Well, motor skills are a very important part of a child’s physical development.    

When a child uses brushes, crayons and colour pencils to paint, it helps in the proper growth of the small muscles of their hands and fingers.

This is uber-helpful in the development of Fine Motor Skills that are needed for things like writing and using utensils.

When a child paints on large surfaces or uses an easel to paint, it engages the larger groups of muscles, helping in the development of Gross Motor Skills.

3. Painting Helps with Sensory Development.

Developing the sensory organs is important for every child. And the benefits of sponge painting for toddlers are many, including sensory development.

Painting is a tactile experience, especially when sponges are used. Even when other objects and mediums are used, painting still stimulates the sense of touch.

Plus, there’s the use of various colours; which leads to visual stimulation.

All these various types of sensory stimulation help in the development of the sensory organs to a great extent.

What’s more?

Painting gives kids a chance to develop their visual perception skills and as a result, they are able to see and interpret their world more efficiently.    

4. Painting Fosters Communication and Social Skills.

Painting encourages communication and helps the development of social skills. This happens in two ways, actively and passively.    

When a child paints together with other children, they begin to communicate even if they have never communicated before.

It may not necessarily be verbal communication. They may indicate and ask for a particular water colour, crayon or paint brush that the other child may have.

Kids may also show their completed painting to other kids and appreciate the ones that others have painted.

All of these actions are considered to be active communication and help in the development of social skills.

It also teaches kids to share their ideas, work together and learn from each other.

Kids also communicate passively through paintings by pouring in their thoughts, ideas and feelings into their paintings, and letting people know what they think and feel.

When you think about the importance of painting in education, this is what it means.                                

5. Painting Assists in Emotional Development.

Quite often, parents and other caretakers forget about the emotional aspect of a child’s development. They do very little to nurture it.

Painting is a powerful tool when it comes to the emotional development of children.

Emotional development comprises elements such as confidence, self-expression, self-esteem and regulation of one’s emotions.

Painting is a good outlet whereby kids can express their thoughts and feelings without any judgement or interruption. They don’t even need to talk to express themselves while painting.

Undertaking art projects and completing them nicely, experimenting with various colours and techniques of painting, and seeing their masterpieces being displayed for everyone to view helps in boosting kids’ confidence and self-esteem.

Painting is a soothing, therapeutic activity that helps kids in processing their emotions expertly; and regulate those emotions and their mood on their own.

Emotional development is a very important benefit of painting for kids in school.

6. Painting Stimulates the Brain and Helps in its Development.

Painting acts as great exercise for the brain. It stimulates various parts of the brain, responsible for various functions.

Mainly, painting helps in activating the parts of the brain that are associated with memory, emotion and cognition.

Creating new art pieces can increase functional connectivity in the brain, especially in the visual cortex area.  

Stimulation of the brain is one of the best benefits of art for children.        

7. Painting Helps in Relieving Stress.

The texture of the paint, brush and paper being felt by the hand, repetitive movements of the brush, the colours being used— everything about the activity of painting can be quite soothing.

Panting helps a person relax and unwind after a long day. It has the same effect on children.

Be it preschoolers, primary school kids or secondary school children; everyone suffers from some sort of stress on a regular basis.

Painting is a great way for them to alleviate stress and regulate their mood. Kids who paint are usually happier than the ones who don’t.

When a parent or primary caretaker sits down and starts painting with children, it makes them even happier.

Benefits of Painting for Kids FAQs

Why is art good for children?

Children can reach their full potential when they have the freedom to express themselves and make their own decisions; without having to worry about giving the right answer.

Painting gives them a chance to do that. Painting teaches them to trust themselves.

Basically, painting helps them develop self-esteem and self-expression.

These are some key benefits of art for students.    

How does art affect a child's brain?

Initially, when a child learns to draw and paint, they copy and draw certain shapes and patterns.

Before the whole sun, mountains and house drawings, come lines, circles and other such shapes.

When a child replicates already existing pictures or objects, it makes their memory sharp and their recall abilities stronger.

And since art is a multi-sensory experience, it helps in cognitive as well as sensory development of a child.    

Why is painting so important?

At first, painting may look like something that is used to create pretty pictures; which is great. But it is so much more than that.

Painting has intellectual, physical and spiritual benefits.

It is a great communication tool as well. When words can’t express what you are feeling, a painting you paint might.

Painting is so good for the mind, body and soul that it is used as a form of therapy in many parts of the world.

How does painting help mentally?

The mental health benefits and physical health benefits of painting are closely related.

And this can be seen in various benefits of painting for adults.

Painting improves memory and concentration. It regulates heart rate. It also reduces stress levels significantly.

The most important mental health benefit of painting is that an individual is able to express their thoughts and feelings without actually saying anything.    

People suffering from stress are often unable to express their feelings through words. When they express their feelings through paintings, it helps them greatly.  

Why is art important in early childhood?

There are many benefits of painting for preschoolers.

During early childhood, when a child engages in painting or any other form of art (drawing, sculpting, etc.), they simultaneously develop their cognitive abilities as well.

Art requires creativity and imagination. When these two skills are used by a child, their critical thinking skills get developed as well.

These skills are crucial for a child to grow up to be a good, intelligent and sensible person.                        

What part of the brain is affected by art?

Studies have shown that when a person views famous paintings, the orbitofrontal cortex area of the brain gets activated.

Things like decision-making, processing emotions, reward responses and sensory integration (taste and smell) is controlled by the orbitofrontal cortex.