Art:  Vital to Child Development By Tara DeRosa, Ph.D., Development Specialist Art is such an integral part of most children’s experiences that adults rarely stop to consider its importance. Enter any home with young children and you are bound to see a “refrigerator gallery” of fingerpaintings, figure drawings and glitter creations. Indeed many adults still retain one of two of their childhood creations, tucked in the back of a drawer or displayed in a scrapbook.  For children like those we serve at Lincoln, art holds added importance as the world around them can seem frightening and confusing. The need to protect themselves from their circumstances, including, for many, trauma, abuse and neglect, has led to a silencing of the crucial inner speech.  The result is a lessened ability to handle the stimuli inherent in every day life and is often manifested through poor social skills, acting out, sleep disturbances, and withdrawn behavior. Art is a non-threatening way to visually communicate anything that is too painful to be expressed verbally. Art, then, is a safe way to awaken the inner speech by providing a medium to communicate with the outside world, and perhaps even more importantly, to encourage insight into one’s own experiences. This insight helps to foster self-management as the children begin integrating what is inside with what is outside.
One of our Lincoln children may have said it best, “Art is Life.”  Indeed, the abilities encouraged by art – creative problem-solving, the ability to take multiple perspectives, understanding that solutions must change with circumstance – are the very skills needed to lead a full and meaningful life.  Art adds color, and beauty, and excitement.  More than just paints, and easels, and clay, art is the representation of hope that what we imagine can become who we are.
These art pieces were created by children at Lincoln Child Center. Please place the cursor over an image to enlarge.

Also Energy Antonio, Age 13 Acrylic on Canvas, Size 12” x 12" “When I do art, I think about Goodness! And, I feel happy!” Art of Transformation, 2008	Kitty Love Tina’I, Age 9 Acrylic on Canvas L’Amyx, 2007	The Flower of the Wild Kelvyn, Age 9 Pastel on Canvas, Size 24” x 18” “When I do art, I learn how to paint my feelings.”        Art of Transformation, 2008
Also Energy Antonio, Age 13 Acrylic on Canvas, Size 12” x 12" “When I do art, I think about Goodness! And, I feel happy!” Art of Transformation, 2008	Kitty Love Tina’I, Age 9 Acrylic on Canvas L’Amyx, 2007	The Flower of the Wild Kelvyn, Age 9 Pastel on Canvas, Size 24” x 18” “When I do art, I learn how to paint my feelings.”        Art of Transformation, 2008

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