The Artful Life: 10 Crafty Tips to Boost a Child’s Self-Confidence and Improve Academic Performance: #3
Categories: Art Education, family, gifts, The Artful Life
As parents, we strive to help our children grow up to be healthy, productive adults. Times are changing faster than ever, and parents are working harder to make ends meet. With constant introduction to new technology, as individuals and as a family, we have more choices than we’ve ever had before. So how do we stay focused and ensure we give our children the best upbringing possible? In this series we will share some tips we have found that help children develop a positive self image, and encourage success in the classroom.
#3: Craft with Them
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| Image by bumblesweet via Flickr |
Teaching our kids how to create is one of the most important things we can share with them. Learning how to transfer an idea from the imagination into a finished form using different materials, is a life skill that will always have value! You can read an earlier post here about why Arts Education in schools is so important, but art/crafting is just as important outside of the classroom.
Making things creates a feeling of accomplishment and pride in one’s work. This contributes to a child’s work ethic. Having the patience to see a project to the end, and overcoming different setbacks, develops skills in problem solving and perseverance. Crafting as a family builds relationships as we often encourage each other during the process. It teaches children the value of time, and to appreciate the time that goes into making things. Crafting also fosters a sensibility for gift-giving, as many crafts are perfect for sharing with family and friends! Try homemade salt dough, Shrinky-Dinks, Perler-Beads, or spend an afternoon at your local Paint-It-Yourself pottery studio. See what treasures you can make together!
More crafty sites for kids:
Adorable Crafts by “Lets Go Fly a Kite”
Crafts for boys Share your favorite family crafts (or crafty sites you love to visit)!
Stay tuned for tip #4 tomorrow!
Miss the first tip? Start here
