The term children’s art and craft covers many areas. Stopping to consider what is art, what is craft is an even broader subject, not only in relation to children’s activities but also in relation to the subjects themselves.
When looking to encourage creativity in children, consider how much creativity there is in a craft kit where each child will finish the session with a piece of work just the same as the child he is sitting beside.
This is not to be knocked though, children will no doubt be proud of what what they have made, have a sense of achievement and this is great for building self esteem.
In order for children to be creative in the future, there is also a need for children to learn skills, techniques, properties of materials and how to use tools and equipment.
Creativity in it true meaning is not directly copying someone else’s ideas or following the instructions from a kit, that is another skill in itself and one enjoyed by many, for example, knitting patterns and food recipes.
True creativity comes from taking ideas from the world and intermingling with thoughts and experiences to create something new.
