Painting – the Brain tonic for growing children

Painting is an important subject for the intellectual development of children, but often neglected by the schools and parents! Now when the mobile revolution has encroached on the innocent lives of children, the parents are reminded of painting once again. Recently Chinha Art News published an article on children’s painting. It received a huge response from parents! Many also requested us to do some special activities for children. Therefore, we are publishing a special article on how painting can make an important contribution to children’s development and how it can actually take place. From this series of articles, we will gradually announce about a special activity for the little ones. But before that, we are sure that these articles of Pratod Karnik, which are written on the basis of actual studies, will serve as a guide for parents.

Eeeeeessssssss…….

Shrieked Sana, a small girl in the ground floor lobby. Just then an old lady from the third floor opened her door and yelled at Sana, “Are you going to let me have my small afternoon nap?”.

With kids, fun and enjoyment are a regular affair during vacations. Imagine five kids, Sana, her brother aged 5 years and three of his friends playing together. Waking up early and finishing the chores; the entire kiddo gang would be down in the lobby at the stroke of 8. Playing outside was out of question due to hot Sunny days.

So, at 8 am these kids would take their football to the ground opposite the lobby. Invariably occupied by grown children, these five kids would somehow find their way and play in the ground till 10 am. When the heat got exhaustive, the kids returned to the lobby to play. Their football would frequently hit the front doors of some or the other flats, then some aunt, or granny would open the door angrily, and shout and scold the kids for the next 10 mins. This was a regular feature of the summer vacations here.

I was reminded of my childhood memories. Seated in my ground floor flat, I could hear the kids playing football in the lobby and suddenly remembered my childhood days. Just then the ball hit the front door of yet another neighbour and again the whole scene was repeated.

In the evening, I went shopping at the nearby market. I noticed drawing material – sketch book, pencils, erasers, colour pencils and crayons on the shelf. I picked the small crayons box from the shelf and just then an idea flashed into my mind. Along with the groceries I needed, I also bought some drawing and sketching material.

The next day around 11.30 am, I opened my front door and peeped out to see what’s happening. I saw the kids still playing. For a few seconds the kids (Chintu-Pintu gang – that’s what I like to call them) probably thought I was about to scold them. But after watching them for a minute or two, I left the front door half open and returned to what I was doing.

In about 10 minutes, a small hand pushed my door open, and an innocent face peeped inside. She was Sana. She was closely observing me. I showed as though I was deeply engrossed in my work. With paints, brushes, and water mugs scattered around, I continued with my drawing. Sana, after holding her clam for barely 5 minutes, entered the house stealthily and came to me. She said Hi! with a smiling face the minute I turned to her. Then she sat next to me and started keenly observing me.

By now, the other four children had noticed that the mischievous Sana was not around, and there came one of the kids who peeped inside my house through the door for a few seconds and then vanished. But then, 5 minutes later all four shyly entered my house.

Standing behind Sana, they too were now staring at my picture. I immediately asked Sana, “Do you like to draw?” She nodded. I gave her the A4 sheet lying next to me. With sudden energy, she pulled the paper and started drawing. She drew a flower first and then a leaf. All the petals and leaf were round, but that was also fun. After her sketching was done, I gave her the colours and said, “These flowers are beautiful, now colour them beautifully. She grinned and started colouring with her tiny fingers. By now, all kids were sitting next to her closely watching what she was doing. She first coloured all four petals and the leaf. I again praised her for colouring so well. Just then the kid sitting right opposite, Gotya, said “Uncle, even I like to draw”. I instantly gave him paper, pencil and an eraser. He drew a man with hands and legs like sticks and then a thread in his hand tied to balloons. I then slid the colour box towards him and he too started coloring his drawing. Slowly, the remaining three children too took the paper and started drawing.

Gotya’s mother who would nag the whole day saying, “What an excessive energetic lot of kids you are? It’s better when you are in school”, came out to check on the kids, as the noise in the lobby had suddenly stopped. Seeing that the door of my flat was open in the afternoon, she peeked inside. She was surprised beyond belief to see all kids quietly sitting next to me engrossed in their drawings. She exclaimed, Oh…so these pranksters are sitting here! Then she turned to me, “Sir, they will bother you. Come on kids, go, and play outside”. Everything was happening as anticipated. I said, “They are not bothering me. I am drawing my picture they are doing theirs. She loitered for some time and then left. Again, as expected Gotya’s mother carried this “news” to other mothers and all of them started arriving one by one. They were startled to see that I was praising their kids’ drawings. After an hour or so, the kids left. While leaving, I gave each of them some papers, two pencils, erasers, pencil cutter and a box of colored chalks and told them to draw pictures the next day onwards. I asked them to bring the drawings to me every evening. Whoever has the best drawing will get a surprise gift. The children went to their homes heartily smiling.

This exercise helped to discourage the kids from their afternoon noisy games and the shrieking voice of Sana in the lobby. The children would come to me daily at 5.30 pm to show their drawings.

Friends, all this did not completely stop the pranks and the child-like mischiefs of the kids. Although the kids were getting physical exercise during the vacations, they were not getting any nourishment for their brain. These drawing sessions gave them food for thought once again. Due to the almost two months summer break to schools, many children are disconnected with the studies and when they rejoin school, they find it difficult to reconnect and hence cope with the studies. Due to this, some students lose interest in studies.

Therefore, every parent should look at this problem seriously. Just because parents get some relief, kids should not be admitted to hobby classes like drawing, sculpture, and wax carving, during their vacations. Though there are a few classes who teach well, there should be no compulsion to go to any classes. Instead, parents should concentrate on whether the child develops interest in drawing or not. Don’t draw for them, as you do in case of their vacation school homework. Let the evening games be a compulsory affair and ask them to draw during the afternoon idle time.

These drawing sessions during the May vacations will prove to be a ‘brain tonic’ for these children. World-over extensive research has been done as to how and why drawing is a brain tonic for children.

In the next part of this series, we will know more about the research done in American and other universities round the world about how art – drawing, painting – serves as a brain tonic for children.

To be continued…

*****

Pratod Karnik

Artist and Advertising Professional