Creative Kids Need Art

The “Other IQ” can help ensure school success
Just two short years ago a new buzz started around the concept of the “Other IQ,” which stands for Imagination Quotient, as opposed to the familiar Intelligence Quotient. Results from a study conducted by Dr. Robert Sternberg of then Yale University revealed creativity was a very important factor in a student’s success in school and life. According to Dr. Sternberg, anyone can be creative, commenting, “It’s never too late to start developing a child’s creativity or even your own. Creativity is like exercise. If you make it a habit and regularly engage in creative activities that build the Other IQ, you’ll develop your creative muscles.”

How can the visual arts help children develop creativity?

Imagine children creating on canvas with bamboo brushes or working with fine sculpting material or designing a mosaic and learning the art of embossing. Exposure to a variety of art forms helps to challenge children to use their right brains as they problem-solve and apply diverse techniques. Art education can help children develop their imaginations; especially art classes that focus on Process Art (read more at www.abrakadoodle.com/process.htm). In no other venue can children actively express, explore, create, innovate and challenge without fear of rejection or negative judgment. Building creativity is so very important starting with toddlers and continuing throughout children’s lives. By the time children reach school age, the focus in education increasingly moves toward testing and conformity, which means that children get less opportunity to be creative. Today’s youth need to develop both intelligence and imagination– a strong pairing of competencies to serve them through life.

What’s your child’s imagination quotient?