Author: Tricia Hodges

When I was in seventh grade, we were all assigned a different country to learn about and present back to the class. The presentation itself required more than just a standard book report. It required us to combine art and academics. We had to create a salt dough map, and then use the map to guide the class around our assigned country.  I was given Italy and spent days preparing for my presentation and painting that map. Twenty years later, I still know more about Italian geography than any other country in the world outside my own.

I share this example, because my guess is, you likely have one too from your own school experience. The diorama, the science fair presentation, or that one cool teacher who let you create a project instead of submitting a written report – when we think of them now, we smile, and we actually remember what we learned. 

This illustrates perfectly the power of using art to aid academic learning.

Why Combine Art and Academics?

Adding art to a more formal learning assignment has two essential benefits for learners.

1. It creates a multi-sensory experience.
2. Creativity leads to ownership.

Art and Academics with Multi-sensory Learning

Multi-sensory learning is typically defined as an approach to learning that uses more than one sense (seeing, hearing, touching, doing).

Research has repeatedly shown that this type of learning is far more successful, because it allows the child to access the information in different ways.

“… when we engage in creative activities, we change the neurochemistry of our brain in ways that a drug can change the neurochemistry of our brain.” Kelly Lambert,  neuroscientist at the University of Richmond.

This is one of the reasons why I Drew It and Then I Knew It lessons work so well for my son. 

The audio of Nana’s instruction, the visual input from the computer screen and from the colors as my child paints, as well as the obvious tactile experience of holding the chalk and blurring the lines on the page – all work together to create a seamless, multi-sensory experience for my son. This type of multisensory learning leads to greater comprehension and retention for all children, and especially those who have learning differences.

Creativity Increases Ownership

When we create something, anything, it requires a certain level of commitment from us. The same is true of our children. It forms a much more personal relationship to what is being learned and goes far beyond what a simple worksheet or quiz can provide.

This increased ownership is another contributor to the increased retention and comprehension we see when we add art to academic learning. It’s one of the reasons why we all remember what we learned from those more creative assignments back in school.

Adding Art To Academics in Our Homeschool

As homeschoolers, we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to create these types of learning experiences all the time. Rather than just the one or two projects I remember from my school days, I am excited to incorporate this type of approach into our learning as much as possible.

Here is a recent example from my own home:

1. My son saw a hummingbird outside and we decided to learn more.
2. We read a book together about birds.
3. We watched a  video online about hummingbirds.
4. We added an element of creativity with You Are An Artist Chalk Pastel Bird Study,
5. As my son created his picture, we listened to Nana talking about hummingbirds and we reviewed what we’d learned.

It may seem simple, and I guess it is. But the truth is, my son has comprehended and retained this learning far more than had we just completed the chapter in his science book.

You Are An Artist is an easy and incredibly effective way to combine art and academics in our homes. The lessons are designed to foster the ownership creativity brings, along with the multi-sensory approach that stimulates more effective learning. 

What a wonderful and seamless way to incorporate art into our academic learning.

You might also like:

• Why Art is So Powerful in Helping Struggling Learners
• Easy Mommy and Me Art Time
• You ARE an Artist Clubhouse Course Listing
• 10 Benefits of Artist Clubhouse Membership
• Free Homeschool Curriculum Match Up Checklist download to make planning art time easier

Shawna Wingert is a special education teacher turned writer, speaker and consultant. She is also a homeschooling mom of two brilliant boys with differences and special needs.  Shawna has written four books for parents – Everyday Autism, Special Education at Home, Parenting Chaos and her latest, Homeschooling Your Child With Special Needs. She helps parents of children with learning differences, behavioral challenges and special needs every day at DifferentByDesignLearning.com.

When I was in school, I had a complicated relationship with art. I was a very type A, by the book, just give me a worksheet and let me fill in the blanks kind of learner. For me, art seemed to be unnecessary and, at times, it frustrated me. (That, and I thought I was pretty awful at it). Fast forward 25 years to when I found out why art is so powerful in helping struggling learners.

Now, I am homeschooling two boys who are vastly different learners than I was at their age. (For example, no matter how much I love them myself, I never give them a worksheet if I actually want them to learn.)

Not only are their learning styles different than mine, but they also struggle with learning differences. My oldest is on the autism spectrum and profoundly dysgraphic. My youngest has attention, sensory and processing issues and is also profoundly dyslexic and dysgraphic.

Helping them learn in ways that allow them to actually retain the information has been a daily challenge. Moreover, it has required me to look beyond my own school experience and instead, consider what actually helps them make progress.

To my surprise, art has become an essential element of their learning, in almost every subject.

Here’s why.

Why Art Is So Powerful In Helping Struggling Learners

Through a lot of trial and error, my own research, and work with outside therapists, there are three things that I have found work best for my children, and for most kids struggling with a traditional school approach.

• Multi-sensory learning
• Short lessons
• Moving at the child’s pace and allowing him to explore

You Are An Artist lessons naturally incorporate these three essential ingredients in ways that have helped my own children immensely. Nana and her sweet, kind, artist’s way have become a staple of our learning, precisely because they work so well with my boys’ learning needs.

You Are An Artist Is Perfect For My Struggling Learners

There are several reasons why this program is such a good fit for us.

Multi-Sensory Approach

As I mentioned, this is essential for any learner who is not connecting with the standard textbook and worksheet approach to learning.

You Are An Artist’s  multi-sensory approach allows my sons to use their hands, experience the “feel” of the medium, see the video, and hear the sound of Nana gently guiding them through not just the art, but the history or science lesson as well.

For my kids, this makes it “stick” in ways that I would not have expected. Because they are engaged in the multi-sensory components of the learning, their brain is much better able to retain what is being taught (and it’s way more fun!).

Perfect for the Perfectionist

We tried art therapy for my youngest son a few years ago, with mixed results.

Most of what got in the way of him being able to relax and engage, was the feeling of needing to make his art “perfect.” (If I think back to my own experience in school, I am pretty sure I felt the same way and disconnected from art because of it.)

Using chalk pastels has completely changed this for him. Because they are not as precise as using a pencil, crayon or marker, he can make “mistakes” without feeling like his project is ruined. Chalk pastels are also incredibly helpful for a child with gaps in fine motor skills.

Plus, it helps that Nana always gently reminds her students that mistakes aren’t really mistakes in art, and even makes a few herself to model flexibility.

Pressure Free Learning

Using art in more traditional subjects completely changes the tone of the learning for my boys. Rather than worrying about whether they will be able to keep up, they relax into a much softer, but just as effective learning environment.

Shorter, well-paced lessons combined with the multi-sensory nature of the learning means a struggling learner can connect with the topic without the pressure of performance or fear of failure.

I would never have predicted how much art, and especially You Are An Artist, would help my children learn.

But the truth is, it has and it continues to, even as they get older.

Finding ways to connect with struggling learners can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. You Are An Artist is a great place to start.

You might also like:

• I Drew It Then I Knew It video art lessons
• From Nana’s Porch Podcast
• You ARE an Artist Clubhouse Course Listing
• 10 Benefits of Artist Clubhouse Membership
• Free Homeschool Curriculum Match Up Checklist download to make planning art time easier

Shawna Wingert is a special education teacher turned writer, speaker and consultant. She is also a homeschooling mom of two brilliant boys with differences and special needs.  Shawna has written four books for parents – Everyday Autism, Special Education at Home, Parenting Chaos and her latest, Homeschooling Your Child With Special Needs. She helps parents of children with learning differences, behavioral challenges and special needs every day at DifferentByDesignLearning.com.