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Art has always been a big part of my family’s life, and it’s amazing to see the different ways my kids respond to it. My oldest daughter is an artist at heart. She started making paper costumes in kindergarten, and I often found her surrounded by a mess of glue sticks and construction paper scraps. Recently, she declared that her seventh-grade bird project was “the culmination of her life’s work”—and she’s only 12!

My son, however, has always seen himself as “not an artist.” Maybe it’s personality, perhaps it’s a comparison to his sister, but the arts just didn’t interest him. And my youngest? She marches to her own beat, so we’re still discovering her place on the artistic spectrum.

Despite these differences, we know that art education benefits every child. At Tatnall, we’re proud that arts are embedded in the curriculum from Early Childhood through Upper School. Research shows that arts education has a powerful impact on student development, improving academic performance, reducing disciplinary issues, and fostering creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving. Dr. Mariale Hardiman from Johns Hopkins shares that integrating arts into education makes learning more engaging and memorable. Her findings show that when arts are part of the curriculum, students retain content better, an idea that truly resonates with me.

I see this impact daily here at Tatnall. In second grade, for instance, students learned about animal adaptations and camouflage, designed creatures in Media Literacy, used A.I. to create habitats, and used Canva to blend their creatures seamlessly into these backgrounds. Their classmates had to “spot” the camouflaged creatures—a memorable way to reinforce scientific concepts.

In fifth grade, students explored Ancient Egyptian culture in Global Studies and created funerary masks in art class. First graders found inspiration in Wassily Kandinsky’s abstract art, creating pieces in his style and then composing music to narrate their work. Fourth graders brought ancient Greece to life through a Greek play, deepening their understanding of Greek values and history.

Ask these students about their favorite moments of the year; they’ll undoubtedly mention these projects. But the real magic is when they explain what they’ve learned through these experiences, sharing insights that stick with them long after the lesson ends.

Art education at Tatnall goes beyond traditional “art class” to include music, drama, dance, design, and visual arts. It’s something I value as both a parent and an educator, and it’s something we value as a community because it helps every child thrive, whether they think of themselves as “artistic” or not.

The next time there’s a creative opportunity at home, invite your child to join in. It could be decorating a cake, choosing paint colors for a room, or curating a playlist for family night. Creative expression takes many forms, and nurturing it benefits every child, no matter where they are on the artistic spectrum.