How to Bond With Your Child Over Art

Hectic lifestyles leave parents with insufficient time to spend with their little ones. Most parents are constantly looking for ideas that don't merely keep children engaged but also maximise time spent with them. Art and craft offer the perfect avenue to combine both.

Many of us fondly remember those lazy afternoons, when we spent time vegetable-painting, working with papier mache or merely drawing with our parents. They would typically teach us something before taking a backseat and allowing our creativity to be unleashed. Creative activities such as art and craft allow children to pick up a vast array of skills and parents play an important role to keep them motivated. These activities help develop a practical approach towards learning.

Also read: Importance Of Art And Craft In Early Education

Values inculcated through craft

It is amazing that the early years of your child's growth can inculcate values which stay with them for life. Creative activities such as crafting ensure that the child goes through an entire process of planning and committing themselves to the mission. In addition, projects which are incomplete make children feel bogged down. Hence, it is important for parents and families to guide children when they need help. Such support helps the child to realise that challenges can be overcome through effective teamwork. Moreover, craft helps in overall development of motor skills as well as patience, concentration and problem-solving.

Instill confidence through accomplishments

The feeling of creating something offers one a sense of satisfaction and achievement. For children, it is more about developing basic skills through do-it-yourself tasks, thereby assisting them to grow in confidence and feel more responsible.

You've taken the decision, chalked-out the plan and carried on to see the project through. It feels great to get a huge task off your plate but there's one last important step to finishing - 'Completion'.

Reward and recognise creativity

It is essential that parents reward children upon completing certain tasks and encourage them through continuous involvement in more such tasks. They may even move one level higher to challenge their skills.

Across India, it has traditionally been the mindset that any school-going child is judged by scores achieved in academic results. However, the rapid growth of professional avenues in creative fields such as designing, architecture and art has proved that achievement can go beyond the purview of marks. Some children may lack skills to attain marks, however many have the wisdom to create something unique on their own. Moreover, it is equally important for parents to realise the potential of their child and go one step further to nurture their skills. Rewards and recognition play an important role in enhancing the child's confidence to continue the good work.

Create memories and have fun with craft

Creative activities such as art and craft provide avenues for gifting the family and creating something special for occasions such as birthdays, festivals and so on. It not only stands out to be a stage for the child to make something and enjoy but also create memories that can be shared.

The DIY craft idea below is a great bonding activity for parent and can be cherished forever --

Memory Frame

Materials required: Fevicol MR, Cardboard, Newspaper, Scissors, Fevicryl Acrylic colours, Fevicryl 3D outliner, sponge

How to Make:

• To make the photo frame, take a cardboard and cut out a window frame with scissors
  
• Sponge dab the frame in a colour of your choice from the Fevicryl acrylic colours.
  
• Using newspaper sheets, fold them to make a thick strip, roll them to make a tight quill and seal the edges with Fevicol MR.
  
• Make 12 big tight quills for the centre of the flower and slightly smaller ones for the petals.
  
• To make your flower look pretty and attractive sponge dab with bright colours of your choice. Leave each piece to dry completely.
  
• Stick the quill circles aesthetically on the frame using Fevicol MR, making a floral pattern.
  
• Finally, for a bit of bling enhance the floral pattern using 3D Glitters of your choice and leave them to dry completely. Tip: You may use this method to make a greeting card too.

Keep Creating

The modern digital environment offers abundant opportunities and connections for youngsters - both socially and in learning. However, people are increasingly looking for tangible and physical forms which provide them fresh impetus and a digital-physical balance in their lives. The modern day digital world also enhances the experience of art and craft by providing plenty of creative ideas that can be picked up from the internet and tried at home. Check out www.hobbyideas.in for interesting DIY and best-out-of-waste ideas.

The Fevicol MR Team endeavours making learning through art and craft, fun and educative. The team also creates innovative content such as Do-It-Yourself ideas and Best-out-of-waste experiments.

Looking for fun ways to keep your preschooler engaged at home during the pandemic? Check out Little Learners at Home, a home learning programme specifically designed for 3 to 5 year olds by our team of experts.