5 Reasons Why You Should Encourage Children to do Arts & Crafts
Arts & Crafts activities are extremely important for children. It helps them develop fundamental life and academic skills. Doing arts & crafts at home or in kindergarten, or school also helps children build their cognitive, physical, and social development. Discover the importance of arts & crafts for your children.
1) Creativity
Arts & Crafts allow children to be creative, which is not only important when they are creating but is an important life skill. Creativity allows a child to express themselves and show how they are feeling. Creativity is also important in school and later life as it allows someone to problem-solve, think up new ideas and think outside of the box.
2) Academic Skills
You can use arts & crafts to teach children a wide range of topics. When a child is creating their crafts, you can teach them literacy and verbal communication skills by asking them questions such as "what are you making" or "what colour are you going to use next". This will also help children develop listening skills. You can also ask a child to read the instructions to create the craft or write down what they did. For younger children get them to answer questions like "what colour is this".
Crafts can also have a math concept. You can develop these skills by simply asking things such as "how many eyes does the bunny have" or it can incorporate the craft itself by asking a child to design their craft with a certain number of materials or ask them to put 6 links in their chain. For older children, you can ask a math question and tell them to answer by creating the answer into their craft. For example, ask a child to "make a craft with 2+3 colours". Make sure you only incorporate academic learning at the level they are at, remember crafts are meant to be fun!
3) Build confidence
When children create crafts, it is important they know that it is ok to make mistakes, that if they choose to do something a little different, they can. Crafts are a great way for children to build confidence as it allows them to experiment and take risks.
4) Motor skills
We all know it is important for children to develop motor skills, it a fundamental skill. Arts & crafts allow children to develop these. As children draw, paint, cut, and glue, it helps build muscles in their hands and develop their bilateral coordination as they use both their hands. As children develop these skills, they can be laterally used in other areas of their life such as eating, tiring laces, and writing which helps them grow independence and develop other skills.
5) Decision making
Arts & crafts are a great way for children to develop decision-making skills, whatever they decide to create, whether that is a drawing, a clay model, and even following instructions to produce a craft a child must make a decision along the way. Which colours should I use? how high should I build this model? how much glue should I use? All these thoughts help children develop decision-making skills and help them think!
These are not the only skills that children develop through arts & crafts and we would argue that arts & crafts should not stop at a younger age. There are many studies that show the importance of arts & crafts all through life and there are many skills everyone can continue to learn. Discover all the arts and craft supplies that Scholar's Choice has to offer and download our FREE craft ideas NOW.
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Importance of Arts & Crafts for Children
Why is creativity important in arts & crafts activities for children? Creativity allows children to express themselves and develop problem-solving skills. It's a vital skill that helps them think outside the box, generate new ideas, and adapt to different situations, both in school and in life.
How can arts & crafts activities contribute to academic skills development? Arts & crafts can be used to teach various academic subjects like literacy and math. Through crafting, children can enhance their verbal communication, listening, and math skills by engaging in activities that involve counting, reading instructions, and problem-solving.
How do arts & crafts activities help build confidence in children? Arts & crafts provide children with opportunities to experiment, take risks, and learn from mistakes. Encouraging them to express themselves creatively fosters a sense of confidence and independence as they realize that it's okay to try new things and make adjustments along the way.
What role do arts & crafts activities play in developing motor skills? Engaging in activities like drawing, painting, cutting, and gluing helps children develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. These skills are crucial for tasks like writing, tying shoelaces, and self-care activities, promoting independence and overall development.
How do arts & crafts activities contribute to children's decision-making skills? Through arts & crafts, children are constantly making decisions about materials, colors, shapes, and designs. This process of decision-making helps them develop critical thinking skills and learn to evaluate options, fostering independence and creative problem-solving abilities.