Why it’s Important to do Arts and Crafts with Kids
I’ll be honest with you. When I first started doing arts and crafts with my daughter back during her toddler years, I kind of thought they were a waste of time. Unless they had an obvious educational component to them, I didn’t see the point.
But she loved them, so we did them anyway.
And I’m glad we did.
The more we spent time cutting and gluing and painting projects that resembled absolutely nothing in particular, the more I saw just how much she was getting out of the experience.
Allowing kids to spend time creating in a variety of ways with a variety of materials is really good for them in so many ways. The benefits of doing arts and crafts with kids aren’t always obvious, so I’ll point some out.
Muscle Development: One of the most obvious benefits is the fine motor skills that kids develop as they craft. Just like running and climbing in the backyard strengthens and develops coordination in their larger muscles, creating things with their hands helps kids strengthen their finer muscles and develop hand-eye coordination.
Brain Development: All the sensory input involved in creating has a big impact on the brain. The visual stuff like vivid colors and interesting shapes combined with the textures and smells of different mediums create a lot of important stimulation for growing brains.
Reasoning Skills: While crafting, kids often have to problem-solve in order to achieve the results they’re after. They may need to try a different tool or material or tactic to get their project to work out the way they want.
Confidence: Many kids struggle to feel like they’re good at something. The completion of an art project (whether an actual recognizable product is created or not) gives a child the sense of accomplishment and of “a job well done.” Some kids struggle to shine academically or in athletically, but will shine bright artistically. As parents and caregivers, we should give them the opportunity to do so.
Academic Skills: So many!
Math -measuring, estimating, symmetry…
Science -color mixing, paper absorbing water…
Engineering -constructing 3D crafts and sculptures…
Pre-writing skills - learning to hold writing implements, scribbling, organizing their thoughts to explain what they created and the steps they took (in sequential order)…
Writing - making a birthday card, creating a sign/banner…
Character Building: The more opportunities kids have to make art, the more opportunities they have to grow in their character traits.
Perseverance -not giving up when the project isn’t working out as planned
Flexibility -substituting supplies when necessary and not aiming for perfection, but allowing the process to dictate the outcome
Patience waiting for paint to dry, literally ha!.
Social Skills: From learning to share with others to valuing another’s perspective (and everything in between), there are many social interactions that take place when kids do art with other kids and with adults.
So if you find yourself wondering “What’s the point?” Remember there are lots of hidden benefits to doing arts and crafts with kids.
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The image below is pinnable. Thanks!
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