By: Regyta Nuraini*

No wonder Indonesia as a multicultural country has various kinds of regional cultures. However, the issue of cultural fading is certainly not foreign to the public's ears. Departing from this, the need for the next generation of the nation that will be able to maintain our cultural wisdom. Who else if not the next golden generation of the nation. Maybe some parents still only facilitate their children with academic guidance. Though art has a big influence on the creativity of the child. This makes it easier for children to come up with new ideas. In addition, learning art in early childhood can also train cooperation between children and other people. Then how to introduce cultural arts to children that is easy and fun?

There is a significant difference from academic learning that is usually done in schools with arts and culture which tend to be more free. Why? Because art is a sphere that is not based on right and wrong. Everyone is free to express what is in his head. So that this situation allows children to have the courage or confidence to express ideas. The importance of introducing art from an early age to children can be proven from many studies that reveal art education, especially music, has a good influence on children's brain development. One of the studies conducted by the University of Toronto included 144 children aged 6 years to take piano courses, vocal courses, and those who did not take courses randomly for one year. As a result, children who took music courses had better brain development and improved math skills and overall IQ.

In other words, art, as a cultural product, is not only of aesthetic value, but also a medium that records and manifests certain knowledge.

The development of arts and culture in children does not only have to be high. Maybe it can be started by giving small examples to children and getting into their imagination. So that assistance to children must continue to be carried out. Whatever the result, give praise so that the child becomes confident. Do not forget to invite him to practice doing these activities often.

After children recognize what art is and have recognized what talents they have, the next step is that children can be introduced to communities or institutions for developing interests and talents. One example is being able to join the Imaji Academy. Imaji Academy not only provides space for expression for children, but also provides full assistance to the talents chosen by the children. Until later it is hoped that the abilities of these children can be developed in a wider scope. This assistance can be in the form of guidance from experienced tutors in their fields.

"Yes, it's called that children are sometimes in the mood to take this cultural arts class, but as much as possible I lean towards children with full enthusiasm to learn to sing," said Dea, one of the choir art tutors at Imaji Academy.

Enhancing the spirit of learning art in children requires extra patience. Moreover, many children think that studying cultural arts is not too important for them. However, this should be a motivation for the tutor to build a more lively and more pleasant atmosphere. These tutors are expected to be able to provide new ideas to make children 'at home' in these learning conditions. (*)

Author Attribution:

*Regyta Nuraini, student of Social Welfare Sciences FISIP UNEJ (2020) and research apprentice Imaji Sociopreneur.