"art grows brains"

A year or two ago I picked up a poster at my local art store called "Art grows brains: Quick Facts on how Art makes you Smart". While the points are insightful, its not the most beautiful poster, so I've decided to retire the poster and let its observations live on here on my blog.

Experts who study the brain say that whenever you do something creative, like drawing or painting, you are giving your brain a terrific workout. So pick up some art tools, flex your mind, [stretch] you imagination and build up your brain power. Here are some more good reasons to create art:

Art makes you smart: Studies show kids who make art do better at school than those who don't do any kind of art at all.

Art gets you thinking: You might not know it, but whenever you create a picture, you ask yourself lots of questions. Like, 'What if I put an elephant here?' And learning to ask yourself questions, and figure out answers, makes you better at problem-solving.

Drawing requires complex reasoning: The eye of the artist is like the eye of the scientist--trained to see details and nuances. Artists compare the work on a page with the vision they hold in their mind. If the marks on the paper don't match their idea, they have to figure out how to adjust the drawing to make it come out right.

Art lets you show the world what you're feeling. Studies show that kids who create art learn to express their ideas and feelings. Plus, they may find it easier to share their thoughts with their parents and teachers.

Art lets you experiment: When you create art, anything goes. There's never a right or a wrong way, it's all part of the learning process. It's risk-free fun.

With every picture, you tap into your imagination: Guess where all the great inventions in the world first started? In people's imaginations! That's where all original ideas come from. And here's great news: your imagination is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

Art makes you a better speller: Incredible but true. kids who do lots of art learn to concentrate on visual details so many find it easier to recognize words and remember how to spell them. Research says art can also help them improve at math.

Art teaches patterning: That means more than a pretty picture. In developing patterns, kids relate different parts to a whole--in other words, they learn to make connections which is key to strategic thinking.

Art helps you with your homework: Art forces you to concentrate and helps you get used to staying with a project from start to finish, even a homework project.

Art is the healthy after-school snack for the mind: According to estimates, a person under 18 spends about 12,000 hours in school and about 88,000 waking hours engaged in other activities. These stats confirm that a lot of learning goes on outside the classroom.