Positive Effects of Childhood Arts Experiences on Cognitive, Social and Emotional Development
I am a firm believer that exposure to art education during early childhood has life-long, positive effects on cognitive, social and emotional development. My early experiences of arts education–visual arts, theatre, and band–during my elementary public school education not only fostered a life-long passion for the arts, but also fortified my holistic growth. As an arts educator, artist, and arts advocate, my career trajectory has been most fulfilling and is a testament to the positive effects of arts education.
I can recall some key arts experiences during elementary school. I remember and cherish memories of auditioning for my school’s band with a recorder and being accepted to play the flute; singing “Wade in the Waters” in an adapted-musical of Harriet Tubman’s life; and working for hours on a colored pencil drawing inspired by surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. I attribute my social adaptability, my emotional resilience, and my continued passion for learning, to my school’s whole-student approach to education. I was lucky enough to attend a public elementary school in New York City that gave me access to visual art, drama, and music classes. These diverse learning opportunities opened up new worlds for me and gave me the confidence to ask questions, try new things, and be an active participant in my daily life.
Unfortunately, nation-wide budget cuts continue to affect public school education leading to school mergers and closures, the elimination of arts departments, and a continued decline in student enrollment.
While the positive effects of art education in early childhood are difficult to measure, many studies illustrate the qualitative effectiveness of arts education on cognitive development and academic performance. As access to fine arts education in today’s public school system remains in constant threat, so too will the social, emotional, and cognitive development of our children. I believe it is more important than ever to continue advocating for in-school and out-of-school early childhood arts programs.
Importance of Art Education on Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Development
A wealth of research shows that making art has benefits for people of all ages. Exposure to art during early childhood, in particular, is especially crucial while children’s brains are rapidly growing and neurological pathways are being established. Similar to how exposure to two or more languages during early years of childhood improves the likelihood of bi-lingualism, exposure to visual arts during early years creates a strong foundation for visual literacy in adulthood.
Art education provides safe spaces for trial and error, experimentation and exploration. By providing students opportunities to explore, we foster individual curiosity and promote self-motivated exploration. When students are exposed to art, encouraged to explore new materials, and provided opportunities to create, their capacity for innovative thinking expands. Research shows that artmaking promotes social and emotional development including self-confidence, emotional resilience, and capacity for empathy. At the same time, exposure hands-on play-based learning during early childhood supports cognitive development and academic understanding of subjects like math, by strengthening communication, fine-motor, and problem solving skills.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released a report in 2025 of arts education’s positive impact on children’s social and emotional development. The main takeaways are as follows:
● At-home arts engagement during infancy was positively correlated with social-emotional and cognitive attributes
● Out-of-school arts engagement during K-5th grades were positively associated with social-emotional attributes and academic performance
Art education empowers students to try new things and develop skills that core subject classes might not cover, such as identity building, modeling and thinking in 3-dimensions, expressing emotions and thinking abstractly. By giving young children opportunities to play with materials, we encourage them to develop their individual tastes (think about how excited young children get when talking about their favorite colors), their physical dexterity (think of their excitement about rolling clay into a snake or a ball shape), and their emotional intelligence (think of their willingness to express difficult topics like sadness and anger through art). Art gives children the tools for thinking and feeling through and beyond what is in front of them.
