Developmental Benefits of Art
Our kids are creators by nature. Providing an environment for artistic expression is important for their development in many areas.
Children clarify their imagination by putting it on paper, shaping clay and crafting materials into objects with form and meaning. They learn the process of transforming thoughts and ideas into something tangible.
Kids tend to blur the line between artwork and role play. Their creations become part of stories they tell and adventures they embark upon.
The content they create reflects their emotions. A picture of mommy, daddy and me says “This is who I am. This is my place in the family. These are the people I love and the people who love me.”
Making art is also an exercise of fine-motor control. It is the best form of skill development when the mind is fully focused, the body is engaged and the fingers are finding new patterns.
Some new skills like coordination are generic and others like knitting, ribbon tying, sewing and sculpting may follow specific steps that must be mastered.
Not least of all arts & crafts teach kids important practical skills. They learn how materials behave. Glue sticks, paint colors and stains, popsicle sticks crack, paper folds and cloth stretches. Children learn to use tools that will be lifetime companions: scissors, pencils, brushes, rulers, rollers and needles.
Perhaps best of all, craft activities are relational. Mom and dad, siblings and friends can all join in the fun. Much of the benefit of the process is talking about the masterpieces.
What You Need
Having basic art supplies like finger paints, paper, colors, paint, play doh and glue around the house is essential. Modern chemistry has produced kid-friendly and kid-safe supplies, which is fantastic, but finding products that are parent-friendly is better still. Parent-friendly products are anything that won’t stain the kids, won’t stain the carpet, and are easy to clean up.
While Amazon has an infinite variety of choices, don’t forget the items you already have at home that make for excellent craft material. Here are just a few:
- rocks, leaves, sticks
- macaroni, cerial, raisins
- buttons, ribbon, throw-away clothes
- string, yarn, straws, matches
- boxes, bags, paper cups and bowls
