If you have young children, then you know first-hand that kids LOVE crafts. While tablets may offer a less messy and far easier form of entertainment, give a kid some popsicle sticks, a bottle of glue, and construction paper, and they’ll stay plenty busy.
Crafts aren’t just fun for kids but can help children develop in ways that go far beyond a 30-minute crafting session.
Fostering Creativity and Fine Motor Skills
Regularly doing arts and crafts is a fantastic way for children to not only tap into their creative side, but the activity helps them develop essential fine motor skills. For example, before children can do everyday things, tying their shoes or zipping up a jacket, learning how to hold a crayon or use a pair of scissors often comes first.
Research has shown that art activities can also help children develop:
- Self-expression
- Problem-solving
- Hand-eye coordination
- Critical thinking
- Color and shape recognition
- Patience
The Right Crafts for the Right Age
Kids have different learning styles and oftentimes, those learning styles and relevant skills develop at a different pace. For example, babies and toddlers often benefit most from crafts such as finger painting, playing with clay, or sidewalk chalk.
Older children or teens, on the other hand, may learn more through more complex craft ideas such as building a dream catcher, paper mache, sewing, or even a woodburning kit for older, more patient children.
The key is starting simple and adding more complex crafting elements to the mix when your child is ready.
Recycle Creativity
One of the great things about kids’ crafts is you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Using recycled objects is a fantastic way to make crafts fun and teach kids about the importance of recycling.
An oil and water mixture, along with some glitter, can transform a clean jar into a DIY snow globe. Another great idea is to save up toilet paper rolls, feed a string through them, and then roll them in some peanut butter and seed before hanging them outside for a bird feeder.
Seasonal
The appealing thing about seasonal crafts is that there are dozens of ideas to correspond with each season and skill level. A few popular favorites include:
- Fall – toilet paper roll ghosts, monster blood slime, scarecrow pumpkins, sponge-painted turkey
- Winter – marshmallow snowmen, bottlecap snowflakes, pine cone ornaments, sew a stocking
- Spring – unicorn planter box, tin can wind chimes, paper ladybug plates, cactus pet rocks
- Summer – pool noodle monsters, sidewalk chalk pops, stamped dish towels, sand art candles
Nature Inspired
A little imagination is all it takes to turn twigs, leaves, and rocks into instant nature art. Have kids round up leaves of all different sizes, shapes, and colors and use them to create a collage or self-portrait.
Painting rocks and putting googly eyes on them is always a hit with small children. Meanwhile, older kids and teens will enjoy making a sun-catcher with pressed flowers and laminating sheets.
Walking the trails located within the master-planned Caliterra community is a fantastic way for kids to get some inspiration for their next nature-themed craft project. If you’d like to learn more about Caliterra’s amenities and find a home here, contact us today.
