Integration of arts with curriculum subjects means that art become the medium of teaching and learning, that is , drawing and painting, dance, drama, music etc become an integral part of class room teaching and learning process. It also implies adopting an art integrated curriculum, where art forms become the basis of classroom learning. Art integrated learning can provide means to bridge the content of different subjects in logical, child centered and meaningful ways.
Subjects such as mathematics, science, social studies and language skills can easily be correlated with arts and the abstract concepts within each one of them be concretized and learnt effectively with arts at the centre. Learning in this way helps to increase knowledge or understanding of the subject area and also fosters a greater appreciation of the arts. Teaching through the arts can present difficult concepts visually, making them more easy to understand. Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decisionmaking, risk-taking, and inventiveness.
In mathematics, arts can be used to observe, describe and imitate the natural world. Natural shapes are observed, drawn, measured and erected in to new structure. There are additional benefits to teaching math and the arts in an integrated fashion. The “hands on “ nature of teaching art and math in combination helps build bridges between concrete and abstract mathematical ideas. Moreover, integrating math with arts meet the needs of diverse learning styles and multiple intelligence. Lastly, the pleasant effects of artistic experiences may help kids to enjoy math more and more to reduce math anxiety.