Sunday, June 9, 2013

Fun Crafts & Art Projects For Children

By Kate Halfey


While it is certainly true that craft projects and art time are a great way to keep little ones busy, there are many other positive benefits of art. Children must make decisions while creating a craft or work of art, which improves their ability to solve problems. Children often have difficulty verbally expressing emotion but can often work out their feelings while creating a work of art. Fine motor skills also are improved when children have to sculpt, cut, tear, paste, paint and draw.

When it comes to art, there is certainly nothing wrong with a big piece of paper, a few different sized brushes and some paint. This allows children to create their own unique art featuring any subject they like. While this is great, sometimes providing a specific type of project is a better idea. Children actually like having some directions or a particular theme. One great idea is to go to a website such as ArtProjectsForKids.org and purchase a downloadable template.

These PDF mural templates feature a variety of subjects and designs. For instance, you can find holiday-related designs, nature designs and designs that feature famous works of art. For example, there are PDFs that feature works by everyone from Joan Miro to Wassily Kandinsky. You can download the Mona Lisa or Andy Warhol's iconic soup can painting. The murals are divided into squares and all children need to do is color each square. Once finished, you align up the pieces like a puzzle to form a completed work of art. Not only is the finished product beautiful, it offers parents and caregivers a chance to teach children about a famous artist or style of art.

From this point, you can branch out to create many new projects. Create a project based upon the artist from your first mural. For example, perhaps your first mural was the famous painting Sunday in the Park by Seurat. Take your children to a great local park, pack up some supplies and have kids create their own version using scenes they see at your park. If your project was Van Gogh's Irises or perhaps something by Georgia O'Keefe, take them to a flower or craft shop and have them choose a couple of their favorite blooms and create works based on these natural items.

Art can also be a way to teach other academic subjects. For instance, if you are learning about the United States, consider downloading a mural PDF template map of the country. This is a quick art project for kids and they get to color and learn geography and the names of the states all at the same time. Another simple art project for kids that also focuses on academic studies is create a mural portrait of a famous American such as George Washington and Martin Luther King.

When you are creating art, remember that it doesn't always have to be two dimensional. There are many fun 3D art projects for kids that can be created using things you already have around your house. Create a collage using pasta, or perhaps go for a nature walk and have children find leaves, flowers, acorns, pebbles and other items for their art. Transform a paper towel roll into a rain stick or totem pole, and don't forget to break out the clay and play-dough or try a paper mache project. You can even create practical items such as hand-decorated pencil cups and colorful paper weights made out of rocks. The only limits to what you can create are the limits of you and your children's imaginations.




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