Anytime a child is struggling in school, they aren’t the only ones who experience feelings of frustration, hopelessness, and discouragement. You, the parent, probably do too.

You’ve tried everything you know to help your child succeed. You’ve tried that great tutor you heard about. Maybe you bought a book on how to help students through learning issues and have worked tirelessly with your child after school…

But you’re still stuck in a rut.

Are there any other resources that can help rescue your child from their struggles?

Have you considered art education?

For the curious and creative-thirsty young mind of a child, art is an essential part of their development. Introducing your child to art and encouraging them to be creative is something you’ll never regret.

That’s because artistic training and activities stimulate a child’s brain in ways that cause a ripple effect, helping them develop crucial skills that will carry over into other subjects.

This week at the Noah Webster Educational Foundation, Caroline Pokorny shares her story of how she struggled with reading from childhood into her tween years. “I absolutely hated the subject of reading. I was so bad with anything that had to do with words. And I remember lots of tears and anguish over things like phonics and grammar and spelling and writing…” she recalls.

For years she had severe struggles with language and comprehension and didn’t enjoy reading books at all. But, hope was around the corner.

The Language of Music

Caroline’s struggles continued for a long time—until her parents bought her a violin and she began taking music lessons.

Studying music is massively beneficial to children. That’s because it causes healthy growth of their corpus callosum “which integrates motor, sensory, and cognitive performance between the right and left lobe of the cerebral cortex, so that messages are able to travel more quickly between these regions.” This is necessary for the brain to carry out diverse functions.

Executive Director of the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation, Mary Luehrisen, says that “When you look at children ages two to nine, one of the breakthroughs [during this age] is music’s benefit for language development…”

For Caroline, that was certainly the case. After several years of foundational musical training, she learned how to read music. And as she began to understand the abstract and concrete rules of music together, she began putting the pieces together in the subject of English as well:

“[When I learned how to read music], that was the very same year I started learning how to read well. It was just really incredible… finally being able to read my own language better so I could enjoy all these stories. I spent so much of my free time reading book after book after book as a young teen and it really changed my life forever.”

Taking The Next Step

Children need the opportunity to explore the world through creative ways—you never know how it will impact their lives as a whole! Try enrolling your child in music lessons, or if they show interest in other forms of art (such as painting), find someone who can help cultivate their abilities.

Our goal at Noah Webster Educational Foundation is to help equip you with resources and encouragement so you can help your children thrive. Visit our website to learn more about subjects like the importance of musical education, tips on finding a good tutor, and parental engagement.

To listen to Caroline’s full story, click here. If you’re interested in sharing your own education story, you can fill out this form on our website. We can’t wait to hear from you!