Art is more than just a fun way for children to pass the time and exercise their imagination. It can help kids with learning disabilities communicate their feelings and work out their thoughts. Essentially, art can help them deal with anxiety and frustration from feeling unheard or misunderstood. This boosts their confidence and helps them more willingly approach learning in school. Here are four ways you can help children with learning disabilities get involved in the arts.

Create a Drawing and Painting Studio

The simple act of drawing pictures can have numerous benefits for any child, especially those with learning difficulties. Using crayons, pencils, and paintbrushes helps kids practice their fine motor skills and coordination, and these skills transfer to improved penmanship. Drawing and painting also stretch children’s cognitive muscles and observational skills. Try taking your kid outside and having them feel different textures, such as tree bark and grass. Then, have them paint what they discovered.

It’s a great idea to set up an inviting art area in your home so kids can get creative whenever they want. Make sure this space is filled with light and near the heart of your home. If it’s off hiding in a dark corner of the house, your kids are less likely to use it.

Build Crafts and Clay Sculptures

Crafting adds another layer of complexity on top of painting and drawing. It lets children explore a three-dimensional space and face special challenges that they have to work around. This exercises their problem-solving skills, which carry over into their academics. 

Clay can be an especially useful crafting medium for kids. Clay is very responsive to touch, but it’s also very forgiving. Kids get a chance to exercise their creative power with it, giving them the confidence to express themselves and bring their ideas to life, and if they make a mistake, they can easily repair their projects by reworking the clay.

Sign Up for Music Lessons

Music is another amazing tool for kids with learning disabilities. In fact, research suggests that music supports the development of important executive functioning processes in the brain and leads to enhanced academic achievement. Music provides a way for children with special needs to learn about themselves and the people around them. This art form also engages multiple sensory areas in the brain, which strengthens their neurological systems.

According to Noodle, kids that suffer from ADHD or dyslexia may find traditional music lessons frustrating, since reading music is a lot like reading words. In this case, children can enjoy learning to play instruments by ear. This helps them develop a passion for music without adding unnecessary stress to their pursuit. 

Take Them to Dance Classes

Dance is an excellent activity for special needs children of all ages. According to LiveStrong, dance helps build balance, coordination, and flexibility in the body, and it also encourages skills like cooperation and collaboration. By learning to work as a team, kids in dance classes develop a sense of trust and confidence in themselves and others.

Fostering the creativity of your child can help them perform better in school and develop a higher level of self-esteem. They’ll develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively as they explore various forms of self-expression. Most importantly, kids with learning disabilities will gain the resilience they need to face challenges now and in the years to come.