If you are reading this blog, you probably agree that art is important for children. But articulating why, whether to yourself or others, is not always easy. MaryAnn Kohl has just written a great article about the life skills that children develop through art activities: The Importance of Art in a Child's Development. It's brief and very readable; I recommend it! And, for bonus fun, she quotes several Artful Parent readers!
MaryAnn is one of 13 national experts who are part of a newly-launched Barnes & Noble Kids' Expert Circle. Her article on the importance of art, as well as another great one she wrote titled Encouraging a Love of Art Through Reading, are just two of many interesting articles they posted on their site earlier this week. Some of the other experts include Becky Bailey (Conscious Displine), Jen Klein (The Mommy Files), Jackie Silberg (Games to Play with Babies), and Harvey Karp (The Happiest Baby on the Block). I need to poke around some more when I have the time...
