Children today are so ‘attached’ to their handhelds, tablets or computers.
The access to information is wonderful, the lack of creativity not so much.
Sure you can draw, paint and do other creative items on them but they don’t hold the same experience. When a child uses paint, for example, they can see and touch the texture as well as smell it. It uses more of their senses.
Giving a child a present that opens them up to the world of creating is not only unique and wonderful but it also stimulates a part of their brain that is not used when they are on computers or handhelds.
Not only do real world arts and crafts employ more senses, they also increase tactile dexterity and enhance creative skills by developing those areas of the brain. These skills are very important for a child’s overall development.
Studies have found kids are using their hands less and less for tasks such as writing with a pen or pencil and creating arts and crafts. As they are educated on computers at a much earlier age, they make gains in being tech ready, but the downside is this is creating a dangerous deficit in tactile, sensory and motor skills that normal, non computer, play and creative pursuits foster.
But before I get into that I have a story to tell you.
When I was a kid my Mum did a little bit of knitting and needlepoint. My Aunty Fran, however, worked on all sorts of crafts. She knitted, sewed, crocheted and produced beautiful needle and petit point creations. Whenever I was with my Aunt I would watch her for hours just amazed how threads could turn into these wonderful pictures, and wool turned into a piece of clothing.
In my preteens I asked her to show me how to knit. Of course her training was very basic, though the concept of holding the wool a certain way to create perfect tension didn’t sit well in my mind. So I decided to go off and try it on my own. You know how kids are, they want to do it themselves.
My Mum and I went out shopping for a pattern and some wool.
I remember walking into the store and being amazed at everything they had. We first went to the patterns. My Mum picked out a pattern for a scarf. I looked at it and thought I could do it but decided to look a bit further because I wanted a bit more of a challenge. Once I had picked the pattern then we were off to find wool. The wool section was incredible. There were so many kinds and so many colors. They all had different textures, some smooth, some with odd knots in them, they all seemed to have a different type of scent to them.
I could have stayed there all day just looking at such a variety.
The pattern I picked was a sweater. But not just a sweater, my first project was a mohair cardigan. Now for those that knit you know this is a bit challenging for someone who has never knitted before, but I was up for it.
As I started I tried to mimic holding the wool the way my Aunt had told me to, but I just couldn’t work that way. So I basically just let the wool hang. Turns out I have perfect tension 🙂
I knitted all that summer and created all the pieces, then sewed them together. When all that was done I put the sweater on and I was so proud of myself. I had actually created something. It was a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.
A present that lets a child create something not only teaches them a skill they will maintain all their life, it also stimulates the right side of their brain, their creative side, and it can also boost their self esteem. Not only that, it creates such a bond between the child and the gift giver if they work together on the creation.
The enjoyment of creating has stayed with me all my life. I even extended into beading, drawing, quilting and more.
Be sure to check out creative and hobby gifts here.
