Desirée Hugo, Academic Head of ADvTECH Schools, outlines how parents can transform simple art activities into powerful educational tools. She explains practical methods for art appreciation that move beyond the "fridge door" mentality to develop a child’s critical thinking, observation, and analytical capabilities.
In many homeschooling households, art often falls into the “fun” category. It is viewed as a well-deserved break from “real work” like maths or languages. While art is certainly enjoyable, categorising it strictly as downtime misses a massive opportunity.
When approached with intention, art becomes one of the most effective tools for developing critical thinking skills.
Desirée Hugo, Academic Head of ADvTECH Schools, suggests that parents can turn art lessons into deep cognitive exercises. By shifting focus from the final product to the process of creation, we teach children how to observe, reflect, interpret, and apply logic.
Here is how you can use art to sharpen your child’s mind.
The Power of Questioning
We all know the routine. Your child hands you a drawing, you say, “That’s beautiful!”, stick it on the fridge, and get on with making lunch. While encouragement is great, it does not challenge the child’s intellect.
To build critical thinking skills, you need to change the dialogue. Hugo advises spending more time discussing the construction of the drawing. This provides insight into your child’s logic and helps them practise communicating their complex thoughts.
Try asking specific questions:
- “Why did you choose these specific colours?”
- “What is happening in this corner of the picture?”
- “Why did you decide to use this shape here?”
These questions open a window into their world. They force the child to verbalise their decision-making process. Suddenly, a pretty picture becomes a lesson in logic and communication.
Observation vs. Memory
One of the biggest hurdles in art—and in critical thinking—is the reliance on assumptions rather than evidence.
“If you ask someone to draw a flower, they’ll typically draw the one we all do from memory, with the circle in the middle, the little arches around the circle and a stem,” explains Hugo.
This is drawing what we think we know, not what is actually there.
To counter this, place a real flower in front of your child, perhaps with a magnifying glass. Ask them to draw exactly what they see. This exercise forces a deep dive into observation. They must notice the asymmetry of the petals, the texture of the stem, and the variation in colour. This skill—observing raw data before forming a conclusion—is the bedrock of scientific and analytical thinking.
4 Practical Ways to Integrate Art and Logic
You do not need a degree in Fine Arts to upgrade your homeschool art curriculum. Hugo outlines four practical strategies to turn creative time into a brain workout:
1. Focus on Open-Ended Projects
Avoid kits where the outcome is predetermined. Provide materials and let your child express themselves without tight guidance. This forces them to assess the tools at their disposal and use creative problem solving to achieve their vision. They learn that there are multiple ways to solve a problem, a vital lesson for future challenges.
2. Engage in Artistic Analysis
Expose your children to a wide range of art history. Lead discussions not just about what they like, but about the artist’s intent. Ask, “Why do you think the artist made that choice?” or “What was the artist thinking?”. This links visual processing with analytical skills.
3. Combine Art with Storytelling
Extend the art lesson by tasking your child with writing a story based on their creation. They must develop characters, plotlines, and settings derived from their visual work. This strengthens the neural pathways between visual creativity and verbal literacy.
4. Visualise Academic Problems
Art helps with “hard” subjects too. Just as we sketch out geometry problems, we can use art to visualise other academic hurdles. Ask your child to create a visual representation of a science concept or a historical event. This helps them brainstorm solutions and visualise abstract problems.
Note: According to the World Economic Forum, creative thinking and analytical thinking are top skills required for the future workforce. Integrating these into your daily routine is not just about art; it is about career readiness.
The “Hundred Languages” of Children
This holistic approach aligns with the Reggio Emilia approach, a renowned educational philosophy. Loris Malaguzzi, the founder, described the “Hundred Languages of Children”—the infinite ways children can express, explore, and connect their thoughts.
Hugo notes that high-quality academic offerings consider this approach essential. By believing that children have multiple ways of seeing and being, we validate their unique perspective.
“Imagine believing that children have the ability to express themselves in more than one way. Now times that by 100, if they’re given the tools and encouragement to extend their potential range,” says Hugo.
Next Steps for Your Homeschool
In South Africa, where we have the freedom to tailor our children’s education, we should not limit art to Friday afternoons. By integrating art appreciation and analysis into your weekly rhythm, you are not just raising an artist; you are raising a thinker.
The next time your child picks up a crayon, remember: they are not just drawing; they are learning how to think.
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