Finding Art in Every Lesson

While I was at university, I realised how art helped me to relieve stress and relax. Whether it was colouring, knitting, or even learning a new language, creative activities became an important part of my everyday life as a student.

As an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, I have always emphasised art by including it in my lessons. I do all sorts of music, dance and arts and crafts fused with mathematics or science with my pre- and primary school students. However, I observe as children get older, art seems to lose its value in the traditional classroom, taking a back seat to the more academically orientated subjects.

This, however, does not have to be the case. Art can—and should—play a greater role in the school curriculum as art serves to nourish creativity, improve motor skills and help students learn better in a more constructive, hands-on way. It also serves, as I discovered first hand, as a calming respite while promoting stress relief and an overall feeling of wellness. By embedding art within the school curriculum, educators can better encourage our students to use their senses in tandem with creativity as developing these skills enhance the learning experience. For example, in a biology lesson where students learn about cell division, they can draw the process and paint with brushes or fingers or even knitting to create a 3D version of the cells. Or perhaps, students can use their musical skills to write their own song on how cell division might sound as a musical composition. These creative means can give deeper meaning to students as merely learning by memorising pages of text can hardly be as impactful as adding creative elements to the learning while making memorable impressions along the way.

A primary school teacher employed by an international school in the Netherlands talks about her school’s lack of emphasis on art, the benefits of teaching art, and the most positive affects she has observed in students who learn and create art. “In our school, there is no emphasis on teaching art,” she says. “There is only a music teacher, and arts and crafts are done by classroom teachers. There is only one 45-minute lesson per week. One week the lessons are conducted by the music teacher and the other week by the classroom teacher.”

This seems to be the norm these days throughout the educational sphere as she went on to explain. “Not every teacher commits to conducting a full music lesson. Children from first to third grade have more time for art than fourth and fifth graders. Teachers have created a fun and attractive art curriculum; we plan school trips based on art and discovery of the world. Also, teachers prepare a play at the end-of-year show though the school doesn’t take any initiatives for this matter. In art you can explore your creativity. It’s important to expose children to all kinds of art such as music, dance, drawing, etc. There might be children who aren’t interested in a particular form of art, and they need to be motivated even more. On the other hand, there are children who can express their true selves in art. Working with them is very rewarding. These children may struggle with other subjects such as math, literacy, and so on, but when it comes to art they flourish. When children complete their tasks they almost always ask for art, for instance drawing, as a way of relaxing and disconnecting. You get to see their happier side! It’s lovely to see how much they enjoy art. It can be satisfying for children to see what they’re able to create. Some children may need a lot more guidance and instruction. Nonetheless, the outcome can be fulfilling for everyone.”

In another recent conversation with a licensed psychologist who conducts -workshops for families about children’s upbringing, she was keen to express her opinions about art in the classroom. “Since art is a tool for children to express themselves, it can be a good way to show thoughts, feelings, desires, and ultimately helps children’s emotional discharge. So, it can be effective in relieving children’s stress and promoting relaxation.”

Aiden, a fifteen-year-old middle school student, talked about how relaxing art is for him. “Art makes me calm and focused, especially drawing. If it is in the form of a project which I am confident to finish on-time, I feel calm. Last year, I had a school project which was about art, history, and Dutch. For this project, I had to visit historic places, write about them, and draw historic figures. This combination helped learn better by connecting the dots between these three subjects and it was more fun than other abstract projects which I am expected to do in school.”

“[Art] can be effective in relieving children’s stress and promoting relaxation.”

Finally, by integrating art into the classroom environment, we are helping students of all ages present talents visually that they may not be able to express verbally as creating art increases the abilities to solve problems, improve motor skills, creativity, literacy, communication and understanding. Therefore, it can be concluded that students who do art in school will be more capable, better adjusted and happier than their peers whose school curriculum places less emphasis on promoting creativity through the arts. 

Top ten list of benefits highlighting the importance of art in education:

1. Increasing creativity
2. Improving academic performance
3. Improving motor skills
4. Improving self-confidence
5. Aiding in visual learning
6. Helping to make better decisions
7. Perseverance
8. Increased focus
9. Strengthening teamwork skills
10. Increasing accountability
11. BONUS: It’s FUN!

About the author

Nastaran Fadaei Heidari is an Iranian-born biologist and educator. She obtained her BSc in Cellular & Molecular Biology from Tehran’s Jahad Daneshgahi Institute of Higher Education and MA in English Language and Literature from Istanbul Aydin University. She has been Teaching English as a Second Language since 2012 in Iran, Turkey, and Poland. In 2023, she founded Siblings Education in the Netherlands, facilitating private English education for young people and adults.

As originally published in the ACCESS Magazine.

For more information about education in the Netherlands please click here.  

Interested in art in the Netherlands?  Click here to read our article about the Depot of Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam.