It’s easy to view art and math as completely separate subjects. Right brain vs. left brain. Creative vs. analytical. Imaginative vs. practical. Right?
In fact, many of the core skills in art and math are closely related. Both disciplines require spatial reasoning skills and the ability to recognize patterns. Artists and mathematicians use geometry in their work — including shapes, symmetry, proportion, tessellations and measurement.
For this reason, among others, many educators have changed their focus from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to STEAM – adding an “A” for Art.
But sometimes, kids see themselves as either “an art person” or “a math person” – as if they can’t be both. As parents, we can fall into that habit, too – viewing our own skills and talents as fixed and unchangeable.
When we help kids see the overlap between art and math, we not only strengthen their skills in each, we expand their vision of what it means to be an artist and a mathematician. Math can be creative! Art can be analytical! Both can inspire our imagination.
Try It At Home
Once kids start looking for shapes and patterns in art, they will see them everywhere. Sometimes I go on “shape hunts” in picture books with my preschooler, asking him to find a square, a circle, or a triangle.