Arts and crafts time brings great benefits to the homeschool
day. Working in different media to bring
art projects to life improves coordination, refines motor skills, aids
self-expression and supports creativity. There are other perks, as well. Craft
time may provide a welcome break from other routines.
Building Proficiency
Kids’ crafts offer many opportunities to strengthen the
relationship between the brain and the hands. Gluing button eyes on a puppet,
blanket stitching the edges of a pillow or applying sparkle to an ornament are
all activities that demand mental concentration and some level of physical
precision. Often these crafts are repetitive, in that a child must do the same
thing over and again until the project is finished. Proficiency builds with
practice.
Encouraging
Self-Expression
Young children tend to be visually oriented. Crafts are a
good way to help kids communicate and create in a non-verbal way. Making
pictures, constructing shapes and combining different objects are another
manner of speaking about the world, and a highly individual one.
Supports Creativity
The imagination is a
powerful tool. Powerful, too, is the moment when a child completes a craft
project that only existed previously as an idea. In many ways, crafts bring
many of the other lessons of a homeschool curriculum together. Math, natural
science, ecology and other studies weave into art to create unique concrete
objects.
Socially Interactive
Making a craft together may be a bonding experience between
an adult and a child, or among several children. Doing a craft requires sharing
materials, time and a creative experience. Making art in a homeschool setting
provides a bridge between the intimacy of home and the structure of a learning
curriculum. On the flip side, doing a craft may also be a way to get some
valuable alone time.
What to Stock in the
Craft Pantry
It is not necessary to buy out the art supply store to have
enough materials at home for craft time. In fact, some of the best stuff may be
found throughout the house – in the kitchen, the sewing box or the laundry
room, for example. Here is a starter list of basics:
·
Construction paper
·
Scissors
·
Glue Sticks
·
Liquid Glue
·
Colored Pencils
·
Markers
·
Paint Kit
·
Crayons
·
Buttons, String, Yarn
·
Stuff from the world – leaves, shells, twigs,
etc.
