How Does Art & Music Fit in Your Home Learning?

There are many different forms of “the arts” that you can expose your children to throughout their homeschooling years. Don’t feel pressured to include artistic lessons as part of your formal learning time, but there are many different kinds of curriculum and resources that would help you do just that!

Teaching art, music, drama and other forms of creative expression will be unique to each homeschool family. What works for one family may not work for another. And what works for one child in a family won’t necessarily fly quite as well with another.

What better way to show our love for the Lord than to express it in music and art? He has gifted people in these specific fields so that they can praise Him in these ways. It has also been proven to calm a child down and make them feel relaxed and comforted. Read on and be encouraged to lead your kids in some form of the arts.

The article below was originally published in the June 29, 2019 issue of The Homeschool Minute.

Mercy Every Minute: Art & Music: Disruption or Calling? 

I used to dislike the arts in our homeschool. Not that I didn’t love creating with my kids or watching them create or listening to their music, but sometimes it seemed like a disruption to the schedule of the “important stuff.” I could not see the long- term benefit until I looked back.

Life is like that sometimes. We are not all-knowing. And in my lack of knowledge, I had lack of appreciation. Why? I felt like music was a disruption because of the time, monetary, and travel commitments weekly, but we did it anyway because I knew how important it was. And I disliked the mess and the cleanup of art. It seemed like I never could quite catch up as we raced to the next thing with paint splatters or clay or glue stuck to a child or a chair. But we did it anyway because I knew there were so many brain connections being made through all of the mess and noise!

They learned so many things through all the hands-on creativity. Only God knew that one child would have an art major/career, and another is both an artist and a musician. Who knew? It was only by His direction we became involved in art classes, music lessons, museums and concerts, etc. All of these things were involved in the shaping of the gifting from God even though I was oblivious. Not all of the kids became artists or musicians, yet they all grew in knowledge and appreciation.

As we allowed God to guide our homeschool path, He brought forth what He knew all along. He knows your children and the gifts and talents He has given them. Trust Him to direct you as you walk this path of obedience.

Instead of squelching a child’s natural bent to get the “more important academics” done, let art and music be the important academics. (Colleges often give scholarships for just these areas!) The children may begin to understand the creativity and artwork and beauty of God Himself through observing His creativity through art and music. He shaped each child, and He has good works for each one to do. Let’s get them creating art and copying the Master Artist Himself and bring Him glory in all we do.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10.

Check out the following links from back issues of our free digital magazine. Better yet, get the free app and each new issue will pop up automatically every quarter!

Teaching Art in the Homeschool Environment by Sharon Jeffus

Do-It-Yourself Music Education! by Marla Szwast

Dramatic Teaching: Recognizing the Importance of the Arts by Joy Kita

With you on this walk of faith,

~Deborah

Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor and Director of Production for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She has eight children ages 11 to 28 and has been homeschooling for over twenty years. Deborah's mission is to point homeschoolers to the Lord in all they do and to encourage them that they can find everything they need for life, Godliness—and homeschooling—in their knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3, 4).