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Home › Articles › Preteenagers › Preteen Picassos

Preteen Picassos

Encourage a Budding Artist

By Teri Brown

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The Benefits
Of course, sometimes you find that your preteen has fallen in love with art, and it becomes their world. Joyce Anthony of Erie, Pa., can attest to this. Her 12-year-old son, Shane, eats, sleeps and dreams art. His passion began at a young age, and it's one that Anthony has always encouraged because of the benefits. "Art is important because it helps a child learn to think abstractly and develop hand-eye coordination," she says. "It also teaches a child to learn to brainstorm, because you tell them to draw something and then allow them to decide what it helps them learn to make decisions in a safe environment."

Anthony believes that art has given her son a sense of self-confidence, a method for expressing his feelings and a chance to develop the creative side of his personality areas in which many boys are not confident. "Shane has asked if he can attend art school instead of college and is interested in designing of all types," she says. "I can see him as an architect or painter, but whatever he chooses, Shane will always surround himself with beauty of his own creation."

Who knows? By encouraging your preteen's interest in art you may be introducing them to a passion that will inspire them for the rest of their lives. Even if they do not become the next young Matisse or Renoir, art can give them a deeper understanding of human nature that will last the rest of their lives.

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