The importance of kids doing art and crafts

Here are some great shows that will give you & your little one lots of ideas for exploring arts & crafts and having fun with them at home.

Most young children love arts & crafts, whether it’s drawing or painting, working with clay or shaving foam, or constructing with card and glue. You only have to google arts and crafts for pre-schoolers to see that the possibilities really are endless and it can be a really fun activity to have a crafty session together.

What are the benefits of arts and crafts for your child?

There are many benefits to fostering your child’s creativity from an early age; it can help them to develop mentally, emotionally and socially.

1. Improves coordination and fine motor skills; essential for dressing themselves, tying shoelaces and even learning to write.
2. Develops their imagination and encourages self-expression.
3. Makes them more creative and enhances their ability to innovate.
4. Boosts self-esteem and can instill a real sense of pride and achievement.
5. Promotes feelings of relaxation and a sense of calm.

And if you need even more convincing, research from the International Child Art Foundation indicates that…

“A child who is exposed to the arts acquires a special ability to think creatively, be original, discover, innovate, and create intellectual property—key attributes for individual success and social prosperity in the twenty-first century.”

Setting up an arts and crafts station at home

If you’ve got enough space at home, it’s a great idea to try and create an ‘artsy crafty station’ for your little ones or an ‘art caddy’ that’s filled with supplies that they can use at the table, on the floor or even take outside. It doesn’t have to cost a lot but a few well thought out materials will inspire all sorts of creativity and art-making. You’ll be amazed! Too many can be overwhelming, but suggestions of things to include are…

• Paper, cardboard or sketchbook
• Drawing materials – crayons, markers, coloured pencils
• Painting materials – liquid paint, watercolour tablet
• Collage materials – stickers, buttons coloured tissue paper, scrap paper, google eyes, feathers, washi tape
• Tools for art – scissors, tape, glue, paint brushes
• Sculpting materials – wood craft sticks, pipe cleaners, wood, feathers
• Recycling materials – toilet roll tubes, boxes

How Hopster can help

It can take a lot of time to search through websites to find appropriate craft activities so we’ve done the hard work for you by pulling together some great shows that teach you and your child exciting art and craft projects to do together.  Research indicates that when a parent and child use a tablet together this can have a positive impact on a child’s development. This kind of guided interaction promotes language skills through questions and discussions and ensures the child is an ‘active’ listener. The shows that we have included for our ‘Arts and Craft’ theme are really suited to guided interaction and a great place to start if you want to be more involved with your kids screen time.

Hopster Arts & Craft shows

I have chosen a few of my favourite shows that will help unleash your inner creative side…

Louie: This show follows the adventures of an adventurous rabbit and his friend, Yoko, the butterfly, as they teach young viewers about the world and the magic of art through their simple drawings. Louie is a sweet, simple animated series that tells stories while teaching kids to draw.

Wonderballs: This is a colourful and fun show that uses art and music to get children’s imaginations going. Each Wonderball has a different skill, be it painting, blowing bubbles or making music, but it is when they combine these skills that wonderful things happen! The series introduces kids to a variety of art techniques and classical music.

Box Yourself Minis: This is a super fun craft show that teaches kids how to make beautiful objects out of cardboard, boxes, toilet rolls and anything else lying around. The show is packed with great upcycling ideas and encourages kids to be creative, artistic and imaginative.

Learn to Draw: This show is a step by step guide to drawing lots of different animals and characters. The steps go slow enough to allow you to follow along and produce some fab works of art.

Doodle’s House: Hop into Doodle’s House and learn how to turn simple shapes like circles, squares and triangles, into fun drawings. This creativity show is great to get kids’ imaginations going and to inspire them to create their own artworks.

Kids can also visit the Create game within the app, to explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques; experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function all without so much as a drip of paint. Many children, especially those with special educational needs can benefit from these kind of creative art activities finding a sense of calm, inspiration and sensory fulfilment as they produce their piece of art.  

We hope you have lots of fun exploring theses shows and getting crafty with your little ones. We’d love to see any of your creations so please send them to us at…