Arts & Crafts and the Benefits it has for Children
Image by Jonathan Sanchez – Unsplash
There are so many skills a child can learn while practicing arts and crafts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Doing this in routine is a great way to exercise a child’s ability to make choices after analyzing visual information. Some of the skills in practice during this time are self-control, emotional stabilizing, mental flexibility and working memory. At Little Ducklings Clubhouse, we encourage children to discuss what they are up to, which exercises the ability to articulate or socialize with others.
Things as simple as cutting paper, gluing things together, or using different size paintbrushes is a huge task for children as far as motor skills, and it triggers so many places in the brain. Not only is work being done, but it’s also so much fun!
Articulation and Memory
The act of exercising the right side of a child’s brain can be very stimulating, and when encouraged to describe their work along the way gives them the ability to practice articulating their words and putting more complex thoughts into their own terms. Thus, the more children get a chance to describe something or explain, the more they exercise the ability to remember. This will help them in their future education within the San Francisco Bay Area.
Image by Phil Hearing – Unsplash
Fine Motor Skills and Coordination
Whether it’s painting with brushes, hands, sculpting with clay, or other various forms of media, crafting in the arts is one of the most substantial ways to exercise motor skills and coordination-whether that is for adults or children.
Self Expression
Little Ducklings Clubhouse staff encourages children during arts and crafts time to practice building various shapes or shapes of their own. Some children start out needing more guidance in the beginning, but it never takes long for them to grab hold of their independence and create what they want. It’s fascinating to watch children, not only enjoy themselves, but explore the creative part of their minds. You can see, visually, how they feel and what they think of in that moment. If it’s not as obvious, it’s fun to ask and have them tell you. It is a peaceful outlet and acts as an emotional moderator. There are many studies throughout history that has shown the arts contributing to decreases in anxiety.
Image by Ravi Sharma – Unsplash
Critical Thinking
Because the arts offer no limits as far as possibilities, making so many decisions simultaneously is a great way to inspire children to think critically. What color will the dog be? Will he be running? What will he run through? They decide what they want to do and evaluate what they’ve done. This in turn, affects their future decisions on a project. Most likely, they will try different ideas each time or repeat the ones that they enjoy. Trying new combinations of things will affect how the analyze situations as they grow. It’s a way to think ahead.
In the bustling San Francisco Bay Area, there are a lot of stimulation that can inspire our children to create. There are many rhythms to follow, colors to remember, and things to replicate that they see every day. It’s the perfect place to inspire and we utilize all the tools we have to help children be at their best and have fun in everything that they do.