While core subjects such as math and history may provide the student with information needed to progress to the next grade level, art serves to build the kindergarten student's self-esteem, organizational skills and self-confidence. Through art, students have the opportunity to demonstrate their perspective on something and plan how they will execute their ideas. Moreover, once each project is complete they gain confidence in their abilities as they realize they do possess the skills to overcome a challenge using their own creative talents.
Children, by their very nature, are better at some subjects than others. For example, some children are very creative and have a natural talent for art related projects, while other students are more inclined to do well in subjects like math and science. Including art in the kindergarten curriculum provides the opportunity for students who are more creatively inclined to develop a further understanding of basic subjects. For example, teachers can connect art related activities to a lesson, such as math, by having students create a collage of geometric shapes or possibly using a specific number of shapes to make a picture.
Through art kindergarten children develop communication skills, social learning skills and build an understanding of others. This is especially true when children are given the opportunity to create art projects together, with partners or in groups. The students must interact with one another to accomplish a task, such as painting a mural and through that interaction their understanding of others is nurtured. In addition, as that understanding develops, children become more accepting of the differences in one another -- including the differences in ideas -- which is important for their existence throughout life.
When students are given the task of creating art that corresponds to an element of the curriculum, they must use problem-solving skills to determine how the task will be accomplished. As a result, students are not only required to complete an art project, but must focus on the details of the project in order to succeed at the task. This is significant because as students progress through the school system the problems that they address will become vastly more complex.