As your child turns old enough to enter pre-kindergarten,
you may notice that they might bring home craft projects on a regular basis. At
first glance, it may seem like your child is already majoring in art, but there
are multiple layers to crafts in a pre-kindergarten classroom.
Learn about the importance of arts and crafts and ways a
child will thrive when they enroll in a program that puts an emphasis on arts
and crafts. Not only can you learn about the benefits a child learns in the
classroom, but you can expand on those benefits if you choose to do some arts
and crafts at home as well.
Fine Motor Skills and Craft Supplies
While your child may harness and expand on their art skills
through the regular creation of crafts, one of the main benefits comes with
fine motor skill development. In pre-kindergarten, the development of fine
motor skills will provide the foundation of a lifetime of skills.
Children will get to use craft supplies on a regular basis
like scissors, glue sticks, paint brushes, and crayons. Their hands will learn
how to properly grip these supplies and learn proper control. The skills only
improve through repetition. When you compare a child's cutting skills at the
beginning of the year to the end of the year, you may notice a stark
difference.
That difference is a clear sign of fine motor skill
improvement. Not only will the improvement help with the specific tasks, but
those skills can transition over into handwriting, sports, cooking, and other
everyday needs.
Critical Thinking and Creative Minds
Arts and crafts include a lot of creativity. While children
may have specific topics or themes in crafts, they will often get the chance to
make some creative decisions in their design elements. For example, a child may
get to choose the colors for a certain project. They may get to design certain
aspects like the face of an animal or creature.
These elements may seem like small decisions, but each new
project has the opportunity to boost their critical thinking skills. The more
they work on crafts and expand their knowledge, the more a child will expand on
those skills and use them in academic settings. The same critical thinking used
in crafts can also apply to future subjects like math and science.
Group Projects and Socialization
The crafts your child works on are not always going to be
independent projects. In pre-kindergarten, your child can use craft time to
build social skills and learn to work together with others. Children may work
on bigger crafts together and learn how to delegate different roles and
communicate with each other.
Children can learn how to compliment others on their work,
give tips, and receive constructive criticism as they complete projects. These
elements could be as simple as little one-liners or brief conversations, but
they will slowly build a foundation for communication and teamwork.
Holidays and Craft Themes
The craft themes that teachers introduce in
pre-kindergarten often follow the seasons and calendar. Through the crafts,
children will build a natural awareness of time. For example, crafts based
around the seasons will help children master the four seasons and eventually
the proper order of months through the year.
Crafts that focus on different holidays will help teach
children about culture and different celebrations around the globe. Using
crafts as the basis for learning instead of a textbook will give a child
specific ways to learn and retain key information.
Find
out more about the pre-kindergarten program at
Riviera Daycare & Preschool. Our
experienced staff will help your child thrive in the world of crafts and take
in all the benefits of art-based learning. Contact us to enroll your child or
to take a tour of our school.
