Find out why you should incorporate homeschool crafts into your lesson plan, plus ideas of how to do so.
Crafting provides our brains with a natural antidepressant, so it only makes sense to weave it into your homeschooling lesson plans, somewhere between reading and discussing literature and memorizing the times tables.
Introducing your children to different types of DIY crafts will lead to emotional, mental, and academic benefits for both of you, and homeschool crafts can be incorporated into your lesson plans for a more creative approach to learning.
Express Yourself In An Easier Way
Most children struggle to express themselves with words. Instead of writing book reports, ask your child to create a collage about the main character. Find old magazines from around the house, and have your children cut out letters and pictures to show what they learned about the book.
To develop vocabulary skills, you can use construction paper to create a visual dictionary of important words or characters in the book. If your children like to draw, have them create a mini comic strip version of a book to show their understanding. Whatever the activity, DIY projects are great for stimulating both sides of our brains.
Improve Your Mental Strength
Crafting with your child is a great way to develop your relationship with each other. Many homeschool crafts involve working together to reach a goal.
For example, you can explore easy and inexpensive ways to spruce up seemingly simple gifts or design practical items to use around the home. Look around for recyclable and reusable items like egg cartons, paper towel rolls, shoe boxes and string. Work together to brainstorm the different ways the items could be combined to create something new.
Encourage healthy crafting habits that have can have positive long-term effects on mental health. The more we use our brains, the stronger they become. It’s when we stop using them that we begin to see deficits.
So Where Does The Learning Happen?
Following step-by-step directions teaches us about the importance of sequence and clarity.
Follow a recipe to create edible peanut butter play-dough. It only requires three simple ingredients: honey, peanut butter and powdered milk. Work together to measure the ingredients in the correct order, and then use the play-dough to sculpt shapes or book characters.
If you’re looking for something nature-themed, make some dirt pudding! The main ingredients include chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos and gummy worms. Following the steps closely is key in this activity to achieve the ultimate deliciousness factor. By creating fun activities to explore your lesson themes, children are more likely to remember the key information.
Mahatma Gandhi once said that “there is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” Parents homeschool because they know what’s best for their children, especially with so many different ways to learn.
Using homeschool crafts in your daily lesson plans will improve the emotional and mental well-being of both you and your children, and will help to nurture a fun and engaging learning environment.
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