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To tap into the benefits of crafting, marmaladeskies suggests you: Find a craft you love-the more rhythmic and repetitive, the better. Passion for a craft keeps you interested, while the rhythmic and repetitive nature confers the mind-body benefit. Make time for your craft every week, and ideally every day. Don't think of this time as self-indulgence, but a medical necessity. View your craft as if it were a medication that you need to take every day for optimal benefit. Take a class to advance your abilities. You have to push yourself a little bit to hone your skill. If the craft is too humdrum, you'll get bored and stop doing it. Enjoy the process. The key is to revel in the task of creating—the fabric, the colors, the patterns, the new idea-rather than just mindlessly pushing to finish a project. Don't become a perfectionist. Yes, you want your craft to challenge you, but don't go crazy. Many crafters tend to beat themselves up if they do a less-than-stellar job, which negates the health benefits. One of the reasons that clinical art therapy is effective is that the act of drawing and creating art can help you relieve stress in several ways: Distraction: Creating art can take your mind off of what’s stressing you, at least for a few minutes. And when you’re finished being engrossed in your project, you should have a clearer head with which to tackle your problems again. Flow: There’s a certain quality of being called “flow”, that experts say is very beneficial for us. This refers to a state of being completely engaged in something to the point of being in a near meditative state; athletes often call this being in the zone. It carries many of the benefits of meditation, leaving you much less stressed when you’re done. You can experience ‘flow’ when you’re doing creative activities like writing, gardening, drawing, mosaic, hand sewing, knitting, decoupage and a ton of other art forms. Self Care: Just the act of having a hobby can make you feel more balanced in your lifestyle. Sometimes with all of life’s responsibilities, we forget that we need and deserve ‘down time’ and self care. Taking even a few minutes on a regular basis to devote to a hobby can give you more of what you need in this area. And, with art, you have the additional benefit of being left with something beautiful (or at least interesting) to show for it!
Join the Handmade Revolution!
History has shown that during times of economic uncertainty, people turn towards activities that bring them comfort and a sense of accomplishment. Americans from Wall Street to Main Street agree that what our country needs is a little "craft therapy." These aren't your Grandma's crafts!
-A note from marmaladeskies owner, Debbie Tawse
From www.helium.com:Art Can Make A Big Difference For Your Kids: To encourage a child's creativity is to give them a gift for life. Creative people don't get bored. Research has also shown that creative activity helps develop self confidence and problem solving skills. It's crucial to cognitive development and fundamental to successful learning. According the Daily Mail's education correspondent, Laura Clark, a recent report claims, "The decline of traditional art and craft skills is threatening children's intellectual development. Using their hands simply makes children more intelligent."
How crafts projects can help you spend quality time with your childrenby Laura Leigh FieldsFamilies can benefit from craft activities together. It helps them learn to create, problem solve, and work together as family. Art is a great form of expression for all ages. It is good for the soul. Crafts time is a terrific way to bond with your child. You get to spend time working together to complete a goal. Children like the idea of completing a project or succeeding at the task at hand. They feel pride when they think they have done well. This can help them to build better esteem. Art is a fun and harmless addiction. Once you make one thing, you want to work on another. It is hard not to create. It is a passion. Art can help you relax and not be so wound up. It is also a great way to help children harness all that extra energy into something positive. A relaxing environment helps a child find comfort. An important quality to instill in a child is an active imagination. Art encourages a child to create and imagine. It helps them to envision the created piece and make it the way they think it should look. Give your child the artistic right away. Don't criticize them if they don't do it "right". When it comes to art, there really isn't a "right" way. Many projects take time, but working on it again may give them something to look forward to. This will also help to teach your child patience. Encourage them when they are crafting. Praise them for their efforts. Talk to your child while you work. Learn their creative process and help them to learn yours. This can be a fun experience for all involved! Family time together does not seem so forced if you are doing something together. Take this time to teach your child things and learn from them. Look for new projects to keep them interested. Children are able to focus more when they have something that keeps their attention. Let them help you pick out things they would be interested in making or trying. Get involved making things and showing your child they can do those things too. Help your child learn to work with others by first working with you. Set all the art supplies together and encourage your child to share. With every project, you will create memories both in your head and your heart. The sentimental value exceeds most. Don't be a lazy parent and let the video games raise your child. Get up and do something with your child. Being crafty is a good quality. If given the opportunity, your child may be a creative genius. For some, art may seem boring, but there are many worse things your child could be doing. In this case, boring is good. Art is great. The time you spend together is fabulous.
by Bruce RobertAs a father of two young children, it becomes a challenge to create new ideas for spending time with my kids. Now, I have learned that it doesn't mean I have to plan a Disney trip to be with them. Creating a craft project has been an excellent bonding experience. When planning a craft project, keep in mind you are creating more than just a tangible object. You are creating a relationship with your child. I firmly believe that time spent with your children is time well spent and an investment in family ties. Creating a trust and openness with your child will help you down the road when they become teen-agers. The problem these days is our teens find it hard to come to mom and dad if an open line of communication was not established in earlier years. Craft projects are excellent in providing this structure. Since my son and daughter were born, I have taken every opportunity possible to be involved in their lives. My hope is that they will always trust me and feel comfortable coming to me in time of need. My son and I have a few projects going now that have given us quality time. Model trains and model rockets are just a couple of time consuming hobbies. We have spent hours doing both. We have gone to the hobby shops to do the research as well as the purchasing of materials. Of course the finished product is rewarding. The smile and excitement in his eyes is even more rewarding. I wouldn't trade the intent excited look of a 6 year old for any amount of money in the world. If you are a dad you know what I mean. If you are not a dad, just wait. The benefit of a craft project is it doesn't have to end. Go build a rocket and then build another. While your at it build a whole fleet of them. Design a model train track layout. After you have completed the design, go to Hobby Lobby and get your track and supplies. The fun begins when you get that first train engine and place it on the tracks. Of course it can get expensive if you move into higher quality locomotives. The most important thing is to have fun and spend quality time making memories. To have my children grown up and retain memories of us together will complete my happiness.
by A. L. OstbergCrafting with your kids allows them to see you in a different role. If you're anything like me, you become a child all over again. Doing crafts also allows you the time to evaluate your child's progress on things like their fine and gross motor skills. The kids are having fun and you get to see them in action. We get to see how much they love glue and red finger-paint. The projects can range from just drawing pictures to paper mache masks. Children are in their glory, just give them some markers, paper, stencils, and stickers and they will make you a masterpiece for your refrigerator to enjoy for weeks to come. Every holiday brings on a new chance to see their creativity in action. There are snowflakes and scarecrows, wreaths and flags to be made. Your children will remember the time you spent with them at every glance they take at the projects the two of you have completed.
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