crafts for learning?

[ksomom]

What are everyone's thoughts on using art and crafts to encourage learning? 

Are there any particular art or craft projects that you have found really interesting or helpful? 

[nhockaday]

Here is another thread that may help http://forum.brillkids.com/general-discussion-b5/craft/msg4228/#msg4228

[linzy]

I use lacing cards and beading to encourage fine motor skills.  Also cutting with a small pair of children's scissors starting at age 2.

[texaslady22]

I agree about lacing cards and beads, and I would also add cutting with scissors and using a hole-punch to develop the fine motor skills.

Also, I heard pottery is extremely good for the muscles in the hand, as is working with clay.

[prince]

I give my son play dough and we both have nice time making diffrent shapes out of it,like making a flower,a ball.alphabets, i also make a small ring out of it n decorate it with diffrent color beads n give him to wear it in his finger...he gets so excited n happy...while playing with the dough i show him diff colors n talk to him abt the diff shapes...

[ksomom]

Thank you for the link.  It's good to hear the lacing beads are helpful.  I just bought some for dd for a Christmas gift.  Yay!  I haven't heard of the lacing cards, so that will be something to look into.  My dd is only 16 months right now, so we'll hold off on the scissors for a bit, and the same goes for gluing... I'll probably wait a couple of months or so.  However, using finger paints and doing something with homemade play dough (and eventually clay) sounds like they're worth a shot.  I have been interested in trying out pottery myself, so I can't wait until dd is old enough to share in that with me, if she so chooses.  

[nhockaday]

www.kaboose.com

www.original-kids-crafts.com

[Sapna1322]

Nice links .Thanx

[trace_hemley]

Instead of using beads, you can also use dry pasta (the small tubes).

A great book I've read is Young at Art - http://www.amazon.com/Young-Art-Self-Expression-Problem-Solving-Appreciation/dp/0805066977.  It really freed me in my thoughts of art and how to introduce it.

Another thing I want to set up with a friend, is to have art playdates.  Where we go to each others houses and our toddlers do art.  Especially since her boy is older and I find that my todd learns really quickly when he has someone else to follow.

Thanks,
Tracey

[trace_hemley]

I forgot to mention, in 'Young at Art' the author is dead set against colouring in.  In that in inhibits a child's own natural creativity.  She has a range of anti-colouring books.

She suggests to instead of using glue to teach pasting, start with round, square and/or triangle stickers.  I have these blue round stickers that my 18mo loves to just paste and paste away.

Thanks,
Trace

[TABS]

Hi there Tracey,

I'm very interested to hear that colouring in inhibits a childs natural creativity.  My son uses chalk to colour in his pictures this is mainly because it goes really fast - anything else takes too long and he looses interest!  So where did you get your sticker dots?  And would you mind to give a short summary of the principles behind this thought.  I won't be able to get the book      So would love to hear more on this.  Thanks 

TABS

[trace_hemley]

Hi there Tabs,

The author Susan Striker believes in totally letting the child develop their own drawings and to let the child work through their scribbling stage naturally.  Colourin inhibits this, as they then have *other* pictures that they *colour* in instead of actually drawing and developing that skill.  Apparently there is a certain age where if a child has not developed the ability to draw, they won't be able to do it naturally after that.  Colourin in inhibits that.  So she has a range of books she has developed called the 'Anti-Colourin' books - which you can only start from age 6
http://www.amazon.com/First-Anti-Coloring-Book-Creative-Activities/dp/0805068422/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229825543&sr=1-1. 

Before then, she encourages initially to only give toddlers one crayon at a time, starting with black, blue, red, green, yellow (i think).  As they enjoy and get used to this colour, then go onto the next one.  Likewise with paint, one colour at a time.  Too many colours confuses and detracks from drawing/scribbling.

She then shows the different *stages* of scribbling.  Once we've shown a child how to hold a pen and draw, then not to try to get them to draw things, but to only *describe* what you're seeing.  Like, 'golly, those are wonderful circles, big one, small one', etc. 

With enough encouragement in scribbling and just letting them express, children will learn to draw more meaningful drawings.

Our library had only one of her anti-colourin books and I was so impressed.  It was of artworks and a piece of the artwork was removed.  Below the drawing was an encouragement, like 'the boy has a dog, how about you draw your favourite dog in this space' - something like this.  Or 'on these tracks a train is coming.  Can you draw the train'.  So it just really encourages and give children the confidence to draw.

Even with playdough, she discourages using stencils / cutouts.  Just let them play and discover naturally.

The stickers are those round circles one uses in offices for labelling things.  So any office supplier will sell.

This book really gave me a good base understanding of the world of art for children and what to do to encourage.  It gave me the confidence I was lacking.  It was good hearing from an expert.  She also had good ideas for birthday parties etc.

Also there are good tips on mess.  Like, get finger paints and let them paint in the bath.  Or paint in a nappy outside.  She goes a bit overboard on saving every drawing etc - but I like the basis she has given me.

HOpe this helps,
Trace

[trace_hemley]

Oh another thing, she encourages all mediums -
painting, drawing, play dough and then onto clay at around 18 months, pasting - and ideas and how to develop these mediums.

[KL]

Anti-coloring!  That's very interesting... Thanks for sharing that, Trace! (karma!)

[nhockaday]

Yeah, that is interesting. It makes sense. We definitely want to encourage creativity, not so much structure.

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