Though your little one might not exactly be Leonardo Da Vinci, their earnest crayon family portrait up on your fridge probably brings you more joy than a framed painting of a grumpy-looking lady from Renaissance Italy would.

Creativity, expressed through doing arts and crafts, is an imperative part of your child’s development. Not only do their cheerful doodles make any house feel like a home, but the act of creating art is also incredibly beneficial to your tot’s development.

Arts and crafts fill time effectively and in an entertaining way, but the process of making art with children is so much more than just a schedule placeholder. PNA took a closer look at how arts and crafts positively impact your child’s development.

Doing arts and crafts develops fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination

On a physical level, doing arts and crafts takes your children’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination to new heights. Small art supplies like pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and paintbrushes require developed motor skills to grip and use effectively. And by handing them to your children and demonstrating their proper use alongside your little one, you’re encouraging them to work on their form.

Make sure you’re always using age-appropriate craft supplies and supervising this exploration process, as some sharp, toxic, or very small implements and materials could represent a significant hazard to children who are too young to use them safely. Try painting together with this set of 6 Dala Economy Pony Bristle paintbrushes.

It promotes creativity and self-expression

Little minds need to learn that what they have to say and offer is valid and worth hearing to develop confidence. A non-risky way for them to do that is to encourage them to express what they want to in a creative space. Even if that’s a dinosaur astronaut.

By doing arts and crafts without rigid instructions or rules, children can “put themselves out there” in a safe, controlled space to experiment and explore ideas. Trying brand new things and solving problems creatively, then being met with praise, will encourage your tots to be more adventurous and outspoken in other areas of their lives. Explore the rainbow with these Croxley Create Oil Pastels.

Increase self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment

Imagining something and then seeing it become a tangible final piece in the real world comes with a sense of accomplishment that can make your child feel capable, intelligent, and talented. By doing crafts with a definite result, your children experience the positive feelings associated with completing a task and develop positive associations with following tasks through to their result.

Keeping the arts and crafts they create around the house will act as consistent reminders to your children of how good it feels to finish something properly while boosting their confidence in their abilities. Every little mind has the potential to be an artist – make them believe it! Plot out your child’s upcoming projects in this PNA Visual Journal.

Doing crafts can foster patience, focus, and concentration

If your child struggles to concentrate, chances are that the settings in which they’ve been told off for it has been challenging ones – in school, in quiet places and  “grown-up” spaces. If this is the case, they likely have negative associations with being patient and attempting to focus. By doing involved, detailed oriented arts and crafts with your child, you can change that association into a much more pleasant one.

Teaching them to focus can be fun when you craft together and quietly concentrate in a calm area. They’ll find the relaxed approach rewarding and see how much they can truly achieve when they put their minds to finishing a project they care about! You might even find your usually boisterous child doing quiet crafts of their own volition. Get focused on sponge painting and this Dala Sponge Applicator Kit.

Art is a way to express big emotions when words can’t

Even as an adult, it can be challenging to talk about how we’re feeling, especially when those emotions are intense. As a little one, with limited vocabulary, life experience and verbal communication skills, imagine how frustrating and scary it must feel to express the overwhelming stuff to grown-ups who just don’t get it.

Arts and crafts can be an outlet for small minds to process and express their biggest feelings and help the adults in their life understand where they’re at. By allowing children a space to be emotionally vulnerable through creativity, you’re paving the way for them to develop into adults who are much more in touch with and able to process their feelings. Let your kids sketch you how they feel with this Lyra Rembrandt Polycolour Pencil Set.

Actively engaging in arts and crafts can improve your child’s motor skills, boost their creativity and self-esteem, improve their ability to focus and enjoy concentrating, and facilitate the healthy release of emotions. Plus, you get tons of free, heartfelt décor for your home, even if the family dog does appear to have six legs in some of the works. We want you to enjoy bonding time with your little ones and watch them blossom creatively. That’s supplyPNA stores stock a wide range of child-friendly arts and crafts supplies you can use. Start your creative journey together today and find your nearest PNA store using our handy store locator.