Arts and Crafts: Therapeutic Benefits to Children

One definition of arts and crafts is the production or exposure of one’s hidden talents. It is the activity or educational subject of creating interesting things such as: paintings, sculptures, drawings and music that is appealing and show ordinary significance to an individual.

It is understandable that children need some freedom and time to play, to learn and develop their ability as a whole.

Thus, arts and crafts are another way of learning and improving with therapeutic benefits to children. Therapeutic benefits to children’s physical, emotional and mental development.

Benefits of Arts and Crafts to Children’s Physical Health

By nature, children love being occupied doing activities that interest them. Psychologically, it is the act of self-expression and self-esteem a lot of parents fail to realize. As parents, it is our responsibility to guide and support our kids in whatever interests them.

Arts and crafts such as putting crayons and pen to paper, using scissors for crafty ideas and even playing instruments is beneficial to children’s health. Exercising their hands and eyes develop their alertness and strengthen their muscles that are important for their studies. With their strong hands and eyes they manage to survive writing and reading exercises. They learn to maintain body position and specific hand and finger movements. The ability to move the fingers and joints is good for their motor skills.

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Benefits of Arts and Crafts to Children’s Cognitive Development

Arts and crafts play an important role in improving cognitive development. Cognitive ability involves creative thinking, reasoning and problem solving. Enhance cognitive ability also benefits to children’s education.

Expose kids to arts and crafts to:

Teach them to follow instructions.

In school or even in everyday life, we implement rules to maintain peace and unity. Thus, instructions were simplified in order to come up with successful and positive results. For kids, it is beneficial to teach them how to follow rules and instructions at an early age.

Children who can easily follow and understand instructions are likely to excel in their studies.

Increase ability to remember important aspects in their life.

Enhance creativity to guide them to show off their hidden talents. It teaches kids to learn to describe and analyze the story behind their creative minds.

Exercise their reasoning and problem solving ability. Problem solving and mathematics are also involved in arts and crafts. To enable kids to develop their critical thinking on solving situations, give them the freedom to manage things alone.

Benefits of Arts and Crafts to Children’s Emotional Development

Children also have mood swings. It is sometimes tough to handle kids’ tantrums and stress. One way to help them release stress is to allow them to freely do interesting arts and crafts.

Because arts and crafts….

Teach them to express their inner feelings and emotions that cannot be expressed in words.

It also teaches the kids to deal and communicate with their friends and open their heart to their environment.

Helps them build confidence and gives them self-satisfaction.

Arts and crafts in any form, offers a therapeutic benefit to children’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. There are many ways to enhance children’s exposure to arts and crafts. We as parents are responsible in providing educational yet interesting arts and crafts for our kids. I would gladly help provide fun, unique, educational arts and crafts for your kids to create and make their own.

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I’d like to share a book, poem and a dinosaur craft or two

that will help your kids...

Understand emotions

· Know what and what not to do when experiencing a certain emotion.

· Know that it’s OK be angry sometimes or sad, scared, happy, and every emotion they want to talk about.

Now to The Fun Part of This Post

First let’s start with a really good kid’s book that’s about being angry.

The Title of the book is:

Let’s Talk About Feeling Angry

By: Joy Berry

I found the e-book on Amazon.com. Great value+.

The book helps kids to...

· Understand anger

· Find positive ways to deal with anger that are not destructive or hurtful to anyone

· Identify a time or event that they were angry and why.

I recommend reading this book to your child as part of the learning game

I found this poem on www.fizzyfunnyfuzzy.com and it just tied the whole theme together.

The Angry Dinosaur

A huge obnoxious dinosaur,
Just barged its way through our front door!

It didn't knock or ring the bell,
Just crashed right in to where we dwell!

It snarled and snorted 'cross the hall,
Stood on (and burst!) my brand new ball.

It shook the paintings off their hooks,
And threw my dad some evil looks!

It tramped right in to our front room,
And left a smelly stench of doom!

It circled round and round the chairs,
Whilst we all stood and said our prayers!

With creaking weight it then sat down,
The chair collapsed, my mum did frown.

The dinosaur with eyes bright red,
Then slowly turned its ugly head!

"I've had enough," it gave a growl,
It sighed and sank, its face a scowl.

"I really tried! I'm in distress!
I didn't win the fancy dress!"

©2003 Gareth Lancaster

I choose two different crafts of Dinosaurs. One is a costume and one is a puppet. With either craft your child can act out emotions as the Dinosaur. Ask them what makes you feel this way, help them come up with positive ways to deal with emotions. Finally, let your child know that is OK to be...angry, sad, scared, happy... It's a great time to talk with your child. It will be a relaxed, fun, positive learning experience.

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Dinosaur Costume

Materials you will need: 3 cracker boxes for little feet (I used baby cereal boxes) or 3 cereal boxes for bigger feet, cardstock or cereal box for cut-outs, 2 small Styrofoam balls, 2 googley eyes, glue gun, string or yarn, green acrylic paint, white acrylic paint.

Have your child wear a smock, apron or a man's shirt - button up at the back. Acrylic paint will come off clothes if washed out right away, the same with any material. It's best to have your child put on their "painting clothes. Paint washes off hard surfaces and skin even after dried. I also recommend using a shower curtain liner on the table for easy clean up. (dollar store $1)

Step #1 - Cut rectangle shapes, which will be feet openings, closer toward the back of one end. Make the rectangle cut-outs just big enough for you child to slip his foot in toes first. Step# 2 cut out from cardstock 8 triangles. These will be the feet claws that will go on the top of the front of each foot.

Step# 3 - Cut a rectangle/square to fit your child's head. Cut closer to the back of the box to save room for the head to stick out. Step# 4 - Cut out of card stock triangle shaped scales. Save room at the bottom for a tab to fold in half in order to attach it to the head. Make the length of the row of scales to go from the back to about 3/4 of the box. (need room for eyes). Now cut out triangle shaped teeth that will go across the front of the head on the bottom.

Step #5 Glue scales to the top of the head with a glue gun (with the help of an adult). Step# 6 Cut out Dino hands out of cardstock about 2-3x the size of your child's hands with claws. Step# 7 Paint claws and teeth white, paint scales any color you like, Paint head, feet and hands green. Let dry.

When dry glue claws on ends of feet. On the back side of each hand glue string/yarn onto the middle with a glue gun. These are handles.

Glue the triangle teeth on bottom of the front of the head with a glues gun. Glue Styrofoam balls on each side of the front of head. To these glue on googly eyes.

Dinosaur Puppet

What you will need: 2 toilet paper rolls, construction paper, googley eyes, wooden dowel or craft stick, two colors of paint for your Dino.

Step# 1 - Cut out triangle shapes out of a strip of construction paper construction paper. (Save the scrap triangle cut-outs.) Leave room for a fold over tab on the bottom of the spikes. The length of the spike strips should be the full length of 1 TP roll, and just a little over half on the other roll. Fold tab on the bottom of the spikes and glue to TP rolls. Put the shorter strip at the end of the TP roll and forward to the middle.

Trim the back of the head in a half circle. Cut two straight lines half way down the front of the head. Cut out small triangles to create teeth. Glue the head to the neck.

Paint the Dino your favorite Dinosaur color and paint the teeth white.

Glue the triangle cut-outs saved from the spikes in spots over the Dino. Glue two googley eyes on each side. Glue the wooden dowel or craft stick to the inside of the neck.

Enjoy this special time with your child.

Lori Ann Reeve
rkidsucceed

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Therapeutic Benefits to Kids of Arts and Crafts. The Angry Dinosaur. Book, Poem and Crafts That Will Help Your Child Understand Emotions and How to Express Them Positively.