Why Crafting Is The Best Way To Bond With Your Kids

Above: This craft doesn’t have to look so perfect, and will be even more charming when done by kids and adults together! Find it in the archives under Rosh Hashana crafting.

Watching your children grow up is a truly special experience. As they learn new activities and react to events for the first time, you also get to experience the world from the viewpoint of a child, once again! Taking advantage of the early years by engaging with your children and teaching them about the world around them is a great way to bond and create an everlasting relationship. Positive and secure parent/child relationships are also crucial to healthy development, and you won’t be surprised to read here that one of the best ways to connect is through crafting, and creative activities such as painting and drawing. So let’s delve into this important subject just a bit deeper, and hopefully you’ll start to make more time in your family’s busy schedule to work on creativity, together!

Creativity Boost Through Knowledge Of Materials

When your kids are learning to craft, there are a number of challenges they may face. Not knowing how to use glue properly, not knowing which materials work best together, what paints and markers work best with each type of paper, and so much more. The more your kids do crafts, the more they will understand how the materials work and what they can do with them, and parents who either have experience or the patience to read product recommendations can be a huge help in this department. Kids will want to jump right in without considering the proper use for a given art supply, and this is where parents can also be of great service, teaching kids about patience and just a bit of preparation in order to achieve the desired results. When kids begin t- understand the true range of possibilities with art supplies, suddenly a whole new world presents itself, which makes them happier and motivates them to work harder in general. Give your kids just a bit of knowledge and you will quite likely find them coming up with ideas you hadn’t even thought of!

Above: A fun Rosh HaShana yarn craft for all ages and abilities, make a bunch and then hang the apples and pomegranites in your succah! This craft is in the archives under Holiday: Rosh Hashana/New Years

Developing Fine Motor Control

Whether you and your kids are learning how to glue paper and cardboard together to make a castle or something more difficult like crocheting a scarf, motor skills are developed and refined. The crafting experts at justcraftingaround suggest that there are thousands of different crafts and each of them involves learning a new skill. The hand movements necessary when crocheting a scarf or folding paper in a specific way helps your kids develop hand muscle memory, therefore, strengthening both their muscles and their memory simultaneously. All the more reason to get crafting, and to try out as many crafts as you can. Sounds good to me, come on over!

Above: Needlepoint or embroidery is certainly a craft that requires more skill than most, but give it a try! Find this craft in the archives under Crafts:Plastic Canvas

Confidence Booster

One of the best reasons to do crafts with your kids is for a boost in confidence. Whether you are a kid, adolescent, or adult, completing a project that was initially difficult will always be a confidence booster. For adults, any given craft may not seem difficult, but in your child’s eyes, it very well may be. Completion of a challenging craft gives kids confidence and a boost in self-esteem, which in turn leads to the personal realization that achieving even more is possible. This boost in confidence will enable your child to try new things without worrying about failure, which in itself can be very significant in your child’s development.

Learning Teamwork

When your kids are learning how to craft, don’t forget to involve yourself as well! Get into the nitty and gritty and learn the craft with the kids, no matter the difficulty. When you decide to build something together and your kids will learn the essence of teamwork and how to work with others to achieve a common goal. Plus making something as a team can lead to results that are so much more meaningful and interesting than if created by just one person. Teamwork on a craft project also helps those with perfectionist tendencies to loosen up a bit and concentrate on the experience rather than the “perfect” outcome.

When you take the time to bond with your kids, any challenges they may face will be less difficult as they know you have their back. In general, kids view parents as superheroes but with crafting, assuming you too are learning, they’ll realize that you are human. It is good for children to see that humbler side of their parents in order to help them understand that it is okay to not be 100% amazing at everything. Crafting together helps build a great relationship, brings to light newfound capabilities and contributes to personal growth for both parent and child. Enough said?

Okay dear readers, now go take a look in my ten year’s worth of craft ideas in the archives and make creativity and crafting a priority in your home. And if the kids are not all that keen on your ideas, get out the supplies and start the project yourself, and they will more likely join you. Wishing you much success, all your efforts (and the mess/cleanup, sigh) are truly worth it!