Children are inherently curious and children naturally love art, painting, drawing , making music etc!! Arts and crafts provides a way for a child to create something unique which gives a child a positive, constructive way for them to express themselves and their thoughts. Physiologically, the human brain consists of 2 parts, the left and the right hemisphere. The left brain is used in logical thinking and analytical processes. This is typically what is trained in school work that consists of math, reading and science. The right brain is used in emotional perception, intuition and creativity. This is touched upon in schools but I believe we need to act on a childs creative development from babies as these skills will also be important to how they live their lives!
Arts and crafts are a great developmental tool for children: its fun and educational. Children can partake in groups to build confidence and social intergration. But they are also valued for their self expression and for their personal and unique masterpieces. Arts and crafts for children offers personal satisfaction and a child will feel proud of themselves for what they have solely achieved. At the same time as having great fun.
It is important that children understand it is ok to be unique, that we are all different , we all have different skills and unique talents. Providing this self belief and individuality appreciation at am early age will avoid the risk of getting a low self esteem, and will allow children to enjoy and explore themselves and their talents without the need to feel they must be the same as their friends or siblings!
Crafts offer new exciting experiences and sensations as well as improving fine motory skill. By controlling brushes, crayons, sculpting clay, building blocks etc a child will learn how to use their small muscles in their fingertips for example.
With arts and crafts the object is fun, mess, play and free personal expression. Your little ones will make unique masterpieces that they will be proud of, it is important that the masterpieces are valued and displayed in order to infuse their confidence. All children who make something personal and unique that is treasured will love their individuality and will be happy to try new things, explore more things and develop from strength to strength as a result. A child who has low self esteem will not take risks and will not reach their full potential nor live a happy,healthy life that a child deserves.
As well as offering children escapism , leaving the real world and entering a fun creative free creative world, it is also improving their coordination and manual dexterity. With lots of different crafts and tools many new skills and experiences can be tried.By taking part in arts and crafts a child will also improve and develop their concentration skills and perseverance. Both of which are useful skills to take into school and adult working environments. Pateince and an understanding that sometimes putting in the extra effort, extra time for the harder crafts will pay off.
The benefits of arts and crafts are:
· Creativity skills are important as it is through creativity children learn their uniqueness and express their feelings.
· Creative arts develop children’s fine motory skills
· Arts and Crafts offer new experiences and sensations
· Arts and crafts can be interactive and social if done in groups. A creative environment is a happy one for children.
· Arts and crafts allow for personal self expression and being valued and appreciated for their unique masterpeices
· Creativity builds confidence for unique personal expression
· Arts and crafts is a great source of quality time with parents, siblings
· Creative arts are fun and educational
· Arts and Crafts builds confidence and self esteem
· Arts and Crafts offer the chance to make choices and build decision making skills
· Creative arts allows children expresses their emotions
· Arts and crafts sessions are great escapism for children from the real world into a creative world
· Arts and Crafts improve coordination and manual dexterity
· The creative arts improve and nurture concentration skills and perseverance
· Arts and crafts teach patience and that to get excellent results it could take harder work and time
Tips to make the arts a part of your childs development:
- Always make arts and crafts supply available and accessible to your child - paper, pencil, crayons, etc.
- Celebrate your child’s artwork – hang their drawings on the wall or save it in a folder. That way, your child feels that their creation is important.
- Read books – Ask the librarian at your school or public library to suggest books about the arts. ( a great book to build self esteem and confidence is The Magic Sunglasses. www.themagicsunglasses.com )
- Notice the arts all around you – take your family to museums, creative days, toddler groups etc. Notice the art even in the parks, subways, and open spaces. Start a conversation about what you see.
- Enjoy the arts at home – share your artistic skills and interests with your children. Find out what your kids love about the art and crafts.
- If your kid shows great interest or talent in certain arts and crafts nurture their esteem
- If possible, remind your kid’s school authorities about the importance of art in her education.
No comments:
Post a Comment