Art education is not merely a field that develops children's aesthetic sensibilities; it is also a learning process that offers strong contributions to their emotional, social, and cognitive development. During childhood, painting education mediates the expression of emotions, the development of empathy skills, the strengthening of social relationships, and the support of problem-solving abilities. Within this framework, the master's thesis titled "The Effect of Painting Education on the Emotional (Psycho-Social) Intelligence Development of Children Aged 7–11," prepared by Pınar Sağırkaya in 2013, stands out as an important academic study that examines the role of art education in children's psycho-social development processes in depth. The research, conducted in a primary school in the Oltu district of Erzurum, was administered to a total of 100 children and revealed the effects of painting education with concrete data.

In the research, a planned and structured painting education program was applied to the children for 24 weeks, and their development levels were measured through evaluations conducted before and after the process. The findings obtained demonstrate that painting education provides significant contributions to children's psycho-social intelligence. Distinct progress was recorded in areas such as an increase in the empathy-building skills of the children participating in the study, a strengthening in their peer relationships, a development in their capacities for self-expression, and the ability to collaborate in group works. Visible differences emerged particularly in skills such as conveying emotions through verbal and visual means, making joint decisions, and achieving social harmony. In addition to this, remarkable results were also observed among age groups. It was seen that 11-year-old children exhibited more mature behaviors in their hygiene habits, taking responsibility, money usage, and friendships; which revealed that art education plays a supportive and reinforcing role in developmental differences.

The research proves that art education is not only an aesthetic field, but also a holistic learning tool that develops children's emotional intelligence, strengthens their social relationships, and directly affects their future academic and societal lives. In this context, it is understood that painting education should be placed in a central position in educational policies and should find more space in programs supporting child development.

You can access the full thesis using the thesis code 358770 at www.tez.yok.gov.tr. We thank Pınar Sağırkaya for her valuable contributions.