Have you ever wondered why art and crafts are so important for child development? And for children age 3 – 8 experts say it is the most important way to help them grow and develop. That’s why they do so much of it at kindergarten and primary school all around the world especially in IIUM Educare.
Kids love to do arts and crafts and it’s important for them to practice it both at school and at home. Here, in IIUM Educare we are providing almost 30 minutes per day for art and craft activity for each subjects!
Here are fews important areas of child development that you can help your kids practice by doing art and crafts with them .
First and foremost, art and craft will stimulates their motor skills. When kids use their fingers to manipulate art materials , they are developing their fine motors skills as they use those small muscles in their hands. Their bilateral coordination skills improve as they learn to use both hands at the same time.
All this happens when they paint, colour, glue and cut. The quicker their fine motors skills develop the more they can do on their own, from eating by themselves to tying their own shoelaces.
In addition, art and craft also can enhanced kid’s literacy. Early child literacy skills in art and crafts cover a wide range of areas – from speaking and reading to listening and understanding. When kids make art or crafts they get to talk about their work which develops their communication skills. “Why did you choose that colour?” “Tell me about what you made.” They learn new vocabulary from teachers and when following verbal instructions they use their listening skills. A skill all teachers want our kids to grasp as soon as possible so they can start listening to us!
As children become toddlers, they experience, to varying degrees, rapid development of communication skills, motor skills, and perspective-taking (or the ability to see from “someone else’s shoes”)
Moreover , basic math skills are often not thought of as being part of art and crafts activities. But math skills are used frequently and have a positive effect of developing mathematical skills in preschool children.
Kids get to learn about and recognise different shapes, count and sort out their art supplies and even measure out lengths and sizes of art materials. To master math, we need good thinking and problem-solving skills which art and crafts activities help with as well.
Art also allows kids to develop their creativity which is important throughout their lives. By doing something creative, you allow for self-expression and this lets kids express (and cope with) their feelings. It also fosters mental growth in children by providing opportunities for trying out new ideas, new ways of thinking and problem-solving.
As you can see, there are many reasons for child to do art and crafts that will improve child development. But we also think it’s a great way for child to have fun and experience all these benefits, encourage them to take part in such activities and all kids will definitely enjoy exploring their own imagination.
