How Arts and Crafts Benefit Children
Before you put art and crafts in the too hard basket, consider what consequences that could have on your child!
Yes crafts are chaotic and you may not particularly want your house to get messy after cleaning all day but arts and crafts benefit children in more ways than one. Here’s why you should embrace the arty, crafty mess.
Benefits for kids
We all want our children to have the best start to life and that includes their development. Arts and crafts play a vital role in improving their skills and can be encouraged from a young age. Benefits include:
• Makes learning a positive experience by making it fun.
Participating in painting, drawing, collage and so many other activities, encourages children to have an interest in learning from a young age. It allows children the opportunity to experiment with different textures, colours and shapes while identifying patterns. It also incorporates knowledge of colours, counting and numbers.
• Encourages the use of imagination and develops self-expression.
This skill is crucial for building self-esteem and allows them to express their feelings in an inspiring environment. Thinking creatively ensures each piece of art they create is an original piece they can be proud of.
• Assists in developing skills.
Using different tools, textures and uniquely sized objects; children will hone their fine motor skills and continue to develop their cognitive skills.
• Develops control
When painting or gluing for craft time, children learn that they are required to wait for their art works to dry. This gives them the opportunity to develop patience and control.
For more understanding of the importance of art in child development, click here!
Craft ideas
There are so many options available for children to enjoy arts and crafts.
Our favourite ones are: Chalk / crayon drawings, painting with brushes / gloves / wool, experimenting with textures using fruit / rubbing plates / leaves, finger painting with shaving cream paint, collages, telescopes and even toilet paper roll people with pompoms and glitter.
Comment below with what arts and crafts your children love.
Do you see the benefit it has on your kids?
This is an S1 POST in collaboration with Child.com.au.
I love crafts! Georgia is a bit too young for getting crafty yet as she’s still working on her hand eye co-ordination, but I’m not afraid to get a bit messy. My niece and nephew even have craft camp with their Nanna (my mum) about once every quarter and they love it. I think they also get such a feeling of satisfaction from doing something for themselves! #TwinklyTuesday
While I do not like the mess, I love the smiles on their faces and the fact they are gaining skills while having fun. It won’t be too long before you will have a paint covered little one!
Love crafts with the smallies, hate the mess! Painting is a firm favourite here with the kiddies. Cute photo, she was face painting hahaha
haha yes she had just finished painting my arms and took to her face. Lol. Apparently her paper wasn’t big enough!
I am so terrible at craft but I plough on trying to do one arts & craft activity each day with my little girl precisely for these reasons #twinklytuesday
I figure worst case the kids can paint each other and as long as they are having fun, I’m ok with it!
I love crafts! There have been a couple of saturday mornings, while we are still in our pj’s that Zach has asked to paint! I never say no now because I think it’s so important to let them create. We have so many paintings (that look a lot like those you’ve included above!). I just love his artwork and it’s wonderful to see how it’s changing as he gets a little older each time! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
Yes absolutely! It is incredible seeing the changes in their visions over time and how their though process changes. Thanks so much for stopping by!
We used to have so much fun doing arts and crafts when the kids were smaller and my youngest still enjoys it. I’ve been getting into myself again recently – amazing how good for the mind it is and for all the development of those neural pathways!
Oh, I love the creative artwork on the face!! Very expressive. Haha. I love art for kids and yet I find myself avoiding it at home because of the mess. I must get into it more. Bron x
Yes the mess tends be a big turn off for most parents but the skills and fun they have doing it really should be incentive enough to let it happen more often. Yes the face painting was her ‘trying’ to get control of the brush. haha