I always look forward to the tremendous feeling of fulfillment that overwhelms me whenever I create something of value. This feeling of fulfillment is further heightened by the fact that I did not need to follow any strict guidelines or generally-accepted notions of what others consider acceptable.
This is Freedom. This is Art.
Creative activities form the building blocks of every child's development. When children are engaged in artistic activities, they gain the freedom to create beautiful artefacts.
Though the two terms, Arts and Crafts, are used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two, however subtle. See Dennis Dutton's piece on the difference between Arts & Crafts.
According to MaryAnn F. Kohl, Art encourages a child's creativity, originality and unique expression, leading to an unpredictable outcome. A higher value is placed on the process of creating the artefact than the artefact itself.
Craft, on the other hand, usually involves directing the child through a series of instructions and demonstrations to produce an artefact – a predictable outcome. A higher value is placed on the artefact than on the process of creating it.
There are numerous benefits of involving children in Arts and Crafts. Here are 4 of the main benefits:
1. It's a way of developing the creative genius in every child. Children enjoy getting busy. Arts and crafts offer a way to channel their innovation, imagination, freedom and creativity into the production of a unique artefact.
Children through Arts & Crafts, learn how to create, explore and try different combinations to see what works best.
2. It's fun. Arts & Crafts offer interesting activities for kids. The good part of this is that they also get to learn the fundamental skills they need to succeed as they grow older.
3. Children develop their motor skills through Arts & Crafts. The tools needed to create works of art like pencils, paint brushes, scissors and crayons also help to build fine motor skills in children and prepare them for the education that lies ahead.
4. It promotes interaction & language development. In the process of creating artefacts, children get the chance to learn more about what they are creating; make decisions on what shapes, colours and sizes they want; talk about these elements with others and interpret their creation. This expression should be facilitated by the presence of their parents and educators who should be on hand to guide them.
Are you sold on the benefits yet?
If your answer is yes, take a look at the list of websites that offer Arts & Craft projects you can explore:
3. Kinder Art
5. Kiwicrate
6. Crayola
7. Jumpstart
10. First-School
11. DLTK-Kids
Do you know of any other website that should be on this list?
Don't forget to leave a comment below.
Picture Attribution: "Craft Crafts Indicates Artistic Designing And Drawing" by Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.Net