fall craft collage

Crafts as in generally done, or crafts with kids has never been touted as an activity that is supposed to do more than keep kids busy, give them some fun and as some say add creativity to a child’s life.

Kids crafts however should do more than that, much more, actually.
Kids crafts, done well, in an educational crafts approach, adds 4 benefits to the activity.

It can take them into the academic realm by allowing them to think through problems.

It can make them take initiative really make them creative and raise their self esteem.

I can show you how to get kids to make a crafts, in this case a fall crafts that will encompass all of the benefits above.

If you take a look online, the majority of the crafts for kids are made up by adults.

Adults think of a cute idea, create it, get the materials, and have the children follow in step by step fashion.This creates what we call “copycat crafts”.

The trick in getting the children to make a craft that includes all 4 benefits above is get them to take the reins to create the project themselves without too much input from the adult.

Even though giving the children too much freedom is this case won’t lead to anarchy, it still can lend itself to confusion. We therefor choose a middle road.

The theme for the crafts, is what you are responsible for when beginning a crafts project with children. Then, start thinking of the materials you can give the children that will suggest Fall. Think fall veggies, fall outdoor activites, fall holidays.

Two very important or helpful things in this equation are Number one:To gather a lot of different pictures to hang up so that the children can get inspiration from these pictures and pick parts of the pictures that they want use in their craft.

As most crafts projects do well with a focal point, it would be a good idea for you to prepare some choices that the kids can use for their focal points.

When creating a craft with a fall theme, I would have them choose from an array of tree trunks.

If you look at this Fall craft collage I give step by sep instruction on how to do a fall craft like this.

When doing these type of crafts, kids solve their own problems instead of following and adults template.

When children are given permission to work by themselves without waiting for overly structured directions, they learn initiative taking
Their creativity, of course blooms because they are being allowed to create what they like.
This has the effect of their self esteem shooting up.

If you are an early childhood teacher you may find another interesting crafts project in this style  called Fall projects for the preschool classroom.

The difference in what this type of crafts, or as I call it educational arts and crafts does for children is indescribable.

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Since most adults realize that children love crayons and paint, it is natural for them to assume that using these materials in a crafts activity would be a perfect time filler.

The assumption that adults usually fall under is the expectation of what a crafts project should be. They see adults crafts and think that children’s crafts should also look as well formed. They therefore, come up with more adult like ideas and then expect the kids to copy these ideas. I call this “copycat crafts”.

If you are a real traditional sort and have no problem with creating robots out of your children then go right ahead and keep doing these kinds of crafts. The web is replete with them
if so it will be a cinch to find tons of tradtional crafts projects to do with kids.

Let me tell you though, why I feel that copycat crafts can do more harm than good. You can also go download a free report  that will help you with all kid crafts by explaining to you in detail the pros and cons of copycat crafts and educational crafts.

If you think about it it makes alot of sense. Traditional arts and crafts can turn children into robots when they don’t let think for themselves as to the creation of their projects. Let me explain to you why tradtional crafts can be so detrimental to your children.

Art has a higher calling than just being used to commemorate holidays. While children are having these enriching experiences they should also be getting educational benefit from it as well.

Creativity, independence, initiative, and self esteem should be just some of the by products of children’s crafts activities.

Copycat crafts, many will tell you is great for kids fine motor coordination. which may be true, but that’s probably the only benefit.

I have a great post for you that gives a great example of creativity in art by showing you how children can make a crafts activity of flowers using both methods.

There are so many art opportunities during the year but, many adults only stick to holiday time.

So what does a person do now?
If you like the idea of adding more creativity to kids crafts you can check out  Educational arts and crafts which will give you lots of crafts for kids to do that are truly educational.

If you want to try doing educational crafts on your own, however, and not copycat crafts  then there 4 points  to keep in mind when choosing a crafts for your children.

1.    Does this activity allow for any problem solving?
2.Does this project let the children use their thinking skills?
3.    Where’s the creativity here?
4.Would a child feel a sense of accomplishment after doing this craft?

If you keep these thoughts in mind when choosing crafts then not only will you be commemorating the holidays and spending quality time with your children but they also will be gaining vital skills

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Parents and caregivers such as teachers and grandparents can promote the hobby of drawing and coloring as a way to improve physical, social, emotional and cognitive development-and to have a lot of fun along the way too. Here are some suggestions:

1. Provide your grankids with nontoxic materials, blank sheets of white paper and coloring pages.

2. Model drawing. Show children that you like to draw and color too – make designs but do not show your children what they should draw.

3. Encourage all drawing and coloring efforts by talking about the beautiful colors, the lines and shapes the child has made.

4. Rather than ask "What is it?,” say “Tell me everything about your drawing”.Asking “What is that?” suggests to the child that he may have failed to draw the image correctly.

5. Talk about issues such as thin or thick, or the concept of wide, narrow, dark, light, edge, shape, contour, etc.

6.Display their art in a prominent place – such as the kitchen fridge, and in places where visitors to your home will see them. Point them out to visitors – the praise for the work will boost a child’s self esteeem and confidence.

7.Give kids the freedom to choose the subjects of their drawings and the types of coloring sheets they would like. Some argue that coloring sheets do very little to foster children's creativity - however they do play a vital role in developing a child's fine motor skills - a pre-cursor to writing - and often encourage children who wouldn't otherwise draw and color to pick up a crayon to color in their favourite character. For example little girls may enjoy coloring images of fairytale princesses while boys enjoy coloring images of favourite characters such as Pokemon or Spongebob Squarepants and at sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find many Spongebob colouring pictures Always supervise younger children while they draw and color – crayons pose a choking hazard.

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Choose the right drawing materials too as this is very  important. Many craft materials can be improvised, think of decorated kitchen roll tubes and potatoes as stamps, but when drawing tools and paper are required, opt for a small selection of good quality age-appropriate products, rather than loads of inferior products. Always ensure that you check safety information and follow instructions. Young children should always be surpervised during ‘art time’ because many necessary materials – such as crayons – pose a choking hazard.

Surroundings: As with writing or working at a computer, good posture and a comfortable position are important for drawing. With young children, a child-size table and chair is actually preferable to an easel. If the chair is a little high, provide a phone book as a footrest. A coffee table and an inexpensive plastic chair work well. A small kitchen storage trolley is a perfect solution for containing supplies, or if space does not allow, a portable fishing tackle or tool box is a good option too. Messy toddlers may need a drop-cloth and supervision to avoid ink-stained walls, as even ‘washable’ pens often don’t deliver on that promise!

Art Materials: Avoid cheap markers, too-hard pencils and thin paints – these types of materials are discouraging to the child and therefore  a waste of money. Provide many sheets of blank paper to inspire their crativity and occasionally invest in a large canvas so that your child can paint something ‘grand’ and chances are you’ll want to hang it on your wall!Also provide coloring books or coloring pages – of which you’ll find plenty online. Granted – coloring pages are not so great for creativity, however they do provide children with the chance to practice their fine motor skills and sometimes it’s very relaxing and just what they need to simply color in without the ‘pressure’ of thinking about WHAT to draw. 

Little boys typically enjoy coloring pictures of cars and trucks while little girls usually enjoy coloring images of fairies and princesses  - at sites like Princess Coloring Pages  you’ll find the best princess coloring pictures

When it comes to drawing and coloring, at each age/stage of your child’s life provide….

Toddlers

• Child-safe markers and wipe-off boards
• Chalk boards and safe chalk
• Plain paper and coloring pages

Juniors

• Sketchbook
• Student colored pencils
• Washable Markers
• Oil pastels
• Plain paper and coloring pages

Middle School

• Sketchbook  or scrapbook
• Graphite Pencils
• Watercolor sketch paper
• Watercolor pencils
• Marker pens, marker paper
• Plain paper and coloring pages

High School

• Sketchbook  or scrapbook
• Quality drawing papers and boards
• Graphite Pencils
• Artists’ quality colored pencils
• Illustration markers, marker paper
• Pastel paper and hard pastels if liked
• Plain paper and canvases to work on

All ages

• Safe sharpeners, erasers, dusters, stencils and rulers
• A  folder for storing large pieces
• Storage boxes for smaller pieces
• Consider photographing or scanning pieces for a permanent record.

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