Why Creativity and Arts Are as Important as Science & Math
In an educational landscape dominated by discussions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) excellence, there’s a growing recognition that creativity and the arts are not merely decorative additions to education but essential components that work synergistically with scientific and mathematical learning. The evolution from STEM to STEAM—adding Arts to the traditional framework—reflects a deeper understanding that innovation requires both technical proficiency and creative thinking.
At Mentor International School, we believe that fostering creativity through arts education creates well-rounded individuals capable of thriving in an increasingly complex world that demands both analytical and creative problem-solving abilities.
The Neuroscience of Creativity and Learning
Modern neuroscience reveals that engaging in artistic activities leads to observable changes in brain structure and function. When children participate in arts education, multiple areas of the brain are activated simultaneously, requiring coordination of auditory, visual, and motor skills. This multidimensional stimulation enhances brain function, leading to improvements in memory, attention, and processing speed.
Learning music helps build and strengthen neural pathways in the brain, facilitating faster and more efficient processing of information. The research demonstrates that the degree of observed structural and functional adaptation in the brain correlates with intensity and duration of practice, suggesting that sustained engagement in creative activities produces lasting cognitive benefits.
Visual arts similarly impact brain development by strengthening visual-spatial abilities that form the foundation for understanding mathematical concepts, scientific reasoning, and reading comprehension. When children engage with art materials, each artistic choice represents a critical thinking exercise where children practice decision-making and problem-solving in a low-pressure environment.
Academic Performance and Cognitive Benefits
Contrary to the perception that arts education detracts from academic achievement, research consistently shows the opposite. Students who receive music education show significant improvements in areas such as language development, mathematical reasoning, and spatial-temporal skills. Children who undergo musical training have better verbal memory, second language pronunciation accuracy, reading ability and executive functions.
Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills
Creative thinking extends beyond professional boundaries and equips students with the ability to address challenges by identifying patterns and connections that might have previously gone unnoticed. Students who participate in arts programs often demonstrate improved literacy, numeracy, and overall academic achievement, with the skills gained through performing arts enhancing learning in other subjects.
The connection between creative thinking and academic success is well-documented. Research shows that there is evidence that creative thinking influences academic performance through students’ self-esteem and internal locus of control, while creative thinkers achieve greater academic success and are better at solving real-world problems effectively.
Language and Communication Development
Arts education creates profound impacts on language development. Drama enhances verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas, improving voice projection, articulation, fluency of language, and persuasive speech. Children who participate in plays in elementary school learn to articulate their thoughts and emotions more clearly, with memorizing lines and delivering them with the right emotion enhancing their verbal and non-verbal communication and reading skills.
Music training might positively impact on sound perception and, consequently, phonological processing and even reading skills, with numerous brain structures and neural patterns shared by music skills and language.
Motor Skills and Physical Development
The arts provide unique opportunities for developing both fine and gross motor skills that are essential for academic success and daily life functioning.
Fine Motor Development
Art activities like drawing, coloring, and using various art tools help children enhance their fine motor skills, requiring precise hand-eye coordination, the ability to manipulate tools, and control over hand movements. As children grasp pencils, hold paintbrushes, or cut with scissors, they develop dexterity, finger strength, and hand control.
Research demonstrates that combined motor accuracy exercises with visual art activities result in higher improvements in manual dexterity, motor accuracy, and reaction time compared to accuracy exercises alone. The study found that the structured combined program best assists accuracy, manual dexterity, reaction time, and selective attention.
Music training enhances fine-motor skills, while artistic pursuits demand coordination between the eyes and the hands, improving children’s ability to perform tasks that require precision.
Spatial Awareness and Cognitive Flexibility
Creating art encourages children to explore and understand spatial relationships, learning to perceive shapes, sizes, proportions, and spatial orientations. This spatial awareness contributes to their ability to navigate physical spaces, solve puzzles, and organize objects effectively.
Arts activities enhance cognitive flexibility by encouraging children to explore multiple perspectives and solutions. Whether it’s playing music in different time signatures or experimenting with new artistic styles, the arts teach children to think on their feet and adapt to new ideas.
Emotional Intelligence and Social Development
One of the most significant contributions of arts education lies in developing emotional intelligence and social skills that are crucial for success in all areas of life.
Emotional Expression and Regulation
Art serves as a non-verbal medium of expressing emotions, allowing children who find it difficult to express themselves in words to communicate their emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, or excitement. Art offers children a safe and constructive means to express their emotions, providing them with a non-verbal means of expressing themselves through which they can bring out those feelings for which they are as yet unable to find the words.
Art therapy provides children with a creative, non-verbal outlet to express and process their emotions in a way that feels safe, engaging, and therapeutic. Through artistic expression, children learn to understand and regulate their feelings, becoming more self-aware and learning to deal with the emotions they feel.
Building Empathy and Social Skills
Participation in drama and theatre helps children develop empathy and emotional intelligence as they learn to understand different perspectives and express their feelings. Acting roles from different situations, time periods, and cultures promotes compassion and tolerance for others.
Theatre combines the creative ideas and abilities from its participants, teaching cooperation and collaboration. The group setting of arts programs provides natural opportunities for children to develop competencies in sharing, taking turns, cooperation, and conflict resolution.
The STEAM Advantage: Integrating Arts with STEM
The movement from STEM to STEAM recognizes that innovation requires both technical proficiency and creative thinking. STEAM combines hard skills and soft skills, while STEM focuses on hard skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Fostering Innovation
STEAM encourages boundless innovation by integrating arts into the STEM system, while STEAM promotes creativity to strengthen problem-solving abilities. The integration of technology and arts encourages children to think across disciplines, fostering a deeper understanding of both subjects and enhancing overall brain development.
By combining the arts with technology, children can create digital art, compose music using software, or design video games, allowing them to see the connection between creativity and technology.
Developing 21st Century Skills
STEAM education emphasizes creativity, problem-solving skills, human-centered design processes, and collaboration. These skills are essential for success in the modern workplace, where businesses that invest in creativity are 88% more likely to foster innovation, enhance customer satisfaction, and achieve financial success.
STEAM has a process-driven focus and requires the use of soft skills in addition to academic knowledge, preparing students for careers that require both technical competency and creative thinking abilities.
Workplace Readiness and Innovation Skills
The importance of creativity extends far beyond the classroom, with creativity skills being essential for problem-solving, developing ideas, improving productivity and viewing challenges from a new perspective.
Essential Innovation Skills
Innovation skills are specific tactical skills that help people solve complex business problems, such as developing a new product or improving an established process. These skills involve more than just thinking outside the box and should enable people to identify customer’s problems, test their ideas, explore new opportunities, and share their knowledge.
Innovative people are more adaptable and better able to respond to change, while individuals who hone innovation skills are more likely to feel engaged at work as people are able to connect their accomplishments with high-value initiatives.
Building Creative Capabilities
Creativity skills include the ability to think about a problem or a task in a new way and use imagination to come up with new ideas. Key components include:
Curiosity: Curious people actively seek new information and are eager to learn more about a topic, helping them expand their knowledge, work more efficiently in a team and make better decisions.
Receptivity and Flexibility: Being receptive to new ideas and accepting of perspectives usually includes developing strong listening skills, exchanging ideas with colleagues regularly, accepting constructive criticism and expressing willingness to try new ideas.
Imagination: Using imagination, individuals can visualize different outcomes of a given situation, anticipate their consequences and examine their benefits.
Quality Arts Education: The Teacher Factor
The effectiveness of arts education depends heavily on qualified educators who understand both artistic techniques and child development principles. Quality early childhood education programs require educators with comprehensive knowledge of child development, curriculum design, and age-appropriate teaching methodologies.
Effective arts educators create environments where responsive caregivers provide support and positive feedback, offer stimulating materials, play and engage with children, and plan meaningful opportunities throughout the day. This approach ensures that all children can thrive and reach their potential through artistic expression.
Building Confidence and Self-Esteem
Arts education plays a crucial role in developing self-confidence and self-worth. Taking risks in class and performing for an audience teach students to trust their ideas and abilities, with this confidence applying in nearly every aspect of their future.
Drama education empowers students to express themselves authentically and find their own voice, boosting their overall self-assurance. When a child is given space to be creative and their imaginations supported, this helps to build their confidence and their self-esteem levels.
The creative process itself can be empowering, with successfully completing an art project or expressing themselves through creative means boosting a child’s self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.
Addressing the Whole Child
Arts education recognizes and addresses the multifaceted nature of child development, supporting growth across cognitive, emotional, social, and physical domains.
Holistic Development
Arts and creativity are crucial for a child’s growth because they promote mental, emotional, social, and physical development that benefits them for the rest of their lives. Participating in artistic activities promotes growth on the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical levels and offers a stimulating and enjoyable means of self-expression.
The benefits of art in early childhood go beyond mere entertainment as they are deeply intertwined with cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional growth.
Long-term Benefits
Research demonstrates that the benefits of musical training extend beyond the skills it directly aims to train and last well into adulthood. Learning to play an instrument as a child may even predict academic performance and IQ in young adulthood.
Students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are more likely to receive higher salaries than counterparts with degrees in non-STEM fields, but STEAM education refines all of the above while also focusing on the fine arts, creating graduates who are both technically proficient and creatively capable.
Creating an Integrated Educational Experience
At Mentor International School, we understand that the purpose of education is not the ability to ace some tests and beat your peers but rather the nurturing and development of one’s creative brainpower and essential talents, enhanced by the breadth of knowledge gained from ALL subjects.
There is as much creativity in engineering, science, and mathematics as there is in the arts, and effective education should give fair value to all subjects and how these subjects relate to solving current and future real-world problems.
Our approach recognizes that STEAM should be the future because it prepares students for digital disruption affecting the whole industry, ensuring kids are ready for this changing landscape.
The Economic Imperative
Investment in comprehensive education that includes the arts yields significant returns. Studies show that early childhood education has at least a 4X-9X return on investment per dollar, and this includes programs that integrate creative and artistic components.
Companies can build a creative and innovative workplace by redesigning existing work processes, embracing diversity and empowering employees. Organizations that value creativity tend to retain employees and leverage their potential for business growth while fostering a shared sense of passion at work through creativity.
Preparing for an Uncertain Future
In a rapidly changing world, the ability to think creatively and adapt to new challenges becomes increasingly valuable. STEAM education not only teaches skills but stimulates creativity, fosters critical thinking, and encourages curiosity.
Innovation and creativity drive competitive advantage, with businesses that prioritize creativity and innovation being better positioned to adapt to market changes, meet customer needs, and stay ahead of competitors. A work environment that values creative thinking often sees higher levels of employee engagement, with employees feeling their ideas are valued and their contributions matter.
Conclusion: A Balanced Educational Vision
The evidence overwhelmingly supports the integration of arts and creativity as essential components of a comprehensive education. Rather than viewing arts and STEM subjects as competing priorities, we must recognize their synergistic relationship in developing capable, innovative, and emotionally intelligent individuals.
At Mentor International School, we are committed to providing an education that values both analytical thinking and creative expression, understanding that students who receive an integrated arts education are more confident, inclusive, expressive, and collaborative learners. The creativity in art education leaves room for innovation, allowing students to take ownership of their learning.
Nurturing a student’s holistic development is powerful and contributes to an impactful education. An integrated arts education enables students to navigate complications in life with confidence and creativity, preparing them not just for academic success, but for meaningful contribution to society.
The future belongs to individuals who can think both logically and creatively, who can solve complex problems while remaining emotionally intelligent and socially aware. By ensuring that creativity and arts receive equal emphasis with science and mathematics, we prepare students to thrive in a world that increasingly demands both technical expertise and creative innovation.
Through our comprehensive STEAM approach, we ensure that every student develops the full spectrum of capabilities needed for success in the 21st century—combining the precision of scientific thinking with the boundless possibilities of creative expression.
