TIPS TO GET KIDS STARTED WITH CRAFTS
Arts and crafts are often a big hit for children. While a lot of concentration and effort is required, children typically enjoy working out each step and are delighted when they reach the final result. Of course, some crafts can be very challenging for children and adults, too, so care must be taken to keep kids motivated.
Step 1
Be Wary Of Short Attention Spans
Don’t start off by choosing a project that will take 30 minutes or more. You need to consider children's short attention spans. Aim for a project with five to ten steps, which can be completed within 15 minutes. Once the children have got some basic projects sorted and are developing a greater interest in a particular craft, then you can get them started on longer tasks.
Help Out Young Children With Instructions
Very young children may struggle with some of the instructions, which is an important part of some crafts, such as cutting paper in half, gluing and sticking, or a folding paper quarter of a way across. It's important to help them out with these concepts so that they don't get confused.
Know The Craft Before You Teach It
It pays to be already a master, or at least proficient, in the craft that you plan to teach. Even very basic projects can have a few tricks to them. You don’t want to have to interrupt a lesson to figure out the steps for yourself. If you are teaching a very complicated craft, then you may want to set up demonstration models for the different steps. Doing so will enable the children to learn for themselves rather than relying entirely on you.
Choose An Interesting Project
It's important to tailor your projects to your audience. Make sure you offer variety and a mix of different projects, with different materials, allowing for different interests and topics, such as family, pets, wild animals, nature, boats, or transport, for example. Variety is key to keep children interested, regardless of the craft you are trying out. If you feel origami will entertain and inspire your kids, you can find interesting project ideas at origamiway.com.
Be Prepared For A Lot Of Mistakes
Trial and error is all part of the process. Children are likely to make a lot of mistakes before they get the hang of a project. Be patient with them and expect to have to show them the same set of instructions multiple times.
You will also find that some children are more adept at a certain craft compared to their peers, which can be discouraging for those kids that are getting left behind. So make sure you give extra help to those that are struggling.
Don’t Forget To Decorate
When the project is all done, it may be the time for decoration. Encourage kids to add color, glitter, attachments such as googly eyes, and anything else that looks nice. Doing so will leave them with a piece of artwork to make them proud.
Conclusion
Arts and crafts are a hit with any group of children. Just be sure every kid is getting involved, and none are getting left behind. Make sure those that are struggling are given the extra help they need so that they are not discouraged from trying crafts again in the future.
