What Happens to a Child’s Brain When They Create: A Love Letter to the Arts, Backed by Science
Every time a child dances, draws, or makes music, something powerful is happening under the surface, in their heart, their body, and deep inside their brain.
We don’t always get to see it in real-time. But neuroscience is catching up to what many of us have always known in our bones: art changes everything.
Scientific studies increasingly confirm what human beings across cultures and throughout time have long known:
we are wired for art.
There’s a growing body of research in the field of neuroarts, the study of how artistic expression supports brain development, emotional health, and learning.
When children engage in the arts:
Brain cells fire in new patterns
Emotional regulation becomes easier
Focus and memory improve
Stress and anxiety decrease
Connection, confidence, and curiosity rise
These moments of creativity help children access parts of themselves that aren’t always reached through traditional learning models.
Art gives children tools to move through the world with resilience, imagination, and joy.
For young people who have experienced trauma, overstimulation, or feel overlooked in systems not built with them in mind, artistic spaces often become places of safety, clarity, and freedom.
Creative expression supports all children. It deepens their sense of identity and belonging. It affirms their voice.
You don’t have to be an artist to support this. You don’t need a degree in neuroscience to understand what it’s doing.
When a child is invited to create, they are also learning how to lead, how to cope, how to regulate their emotions, and how to care for themselves and others.
This is not a luxury or an afterthought. It is a path toward healing, growth, and deeper human connection, in the classroom, at home, and beyond.
To the parents, caregivers, and educators reading this: thank you for making space for creativity. Thank you for seeing its value. Thank you for continuing to believe in our kids.
With love and respect,
Brizzo Torres
Artist. Educator. Community Leader
Founder, The Good Good Collective