Art & Craft

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At the Planet Apple Toys online store you will find a range of art and craft toys for children which will help with their development at any age. Experts agree that art is crucial in helping young children to develop brain function. Art and craft sessions create opportunities for open ended play Don’t be afraid to give your child traditional art supplies such as paper, crayons, paints and scissors as these are implements which will encourage open the type of play where there are no set expectations or end product. Their imaginations are set free to produce what ever they wish with no limits or rules to follow. We stock a variety of safe, quality and traditional art products.

For the very young pre-school child, using crayons and paint brushes helps with their physical development. Drawing and colouring in, refines fine motor control and supports muscle development. This is most helpful for when they begin to learn to write. Our range of colouring in products including tablecloths; postcards and painting by numbers are sure to ignite any child’s imagination.

Many of our products can be enjoyed when playing with friends. Through working together they learn to share and communicate with others as well as learning the responsibility of cleaning up and putting away after their projects are completed. These are important engagement skills in the process of social learning and development. Colouring in dress up costumes are perfect for this and each child can have an individual and differently coloured outfit.

Mixing primary colours to make another, exploring the woods and gardens for differently shaped leaves and textured bark are all materials which extend a child’s knowledge of colour and tactile objects, as well as being great aids to drawing and painting whilst developing their skills of observation. Open ended play help the flow of ideas and allows the child to arrive at differing interpretations leading to a variety of ideas when interacting with different materials and enjoying play with their friends. Scratch art or our magic sketch pads are ideal for the exploration of shapes and colours.

Art therapy for children is widely recognized as being therapeutic when working with them during illness or overcoming emotional trauma. A child’s feelings of self esteem rise when we recognize the value of their creativity and they are often able to draw pictures which represent things which are of importance to them, feelings which they are unable to express in words.

Encouraging a child’s imagination and supporting their efforts to experiment, whilst seeming to be a small gesture, will lay the foundations for confidence later in life. Many a budding scientist or inventor was helped along the right path as a very small child through the encouragement and approval of their parents.

Older children will appreciate the opportunity to complete projects particularly with the help and encourage of a parent. This is when many a treasured childhood memory is stored and in adulthood how many a conversations start with the words `do you remember when we made……….’!

When thinking about starting a craft project with a child it is important to choose a something which is age appropriate. We are all familiar with the saying ‘setting them up to fail’ and this should be at the back of our minds when making decisions as to what to make. Start off with the simplest ideas, try searching the web and it should come up with lots of websites or blogs with ideas. It is amazing what can be made with just cardboard and a pair of safe, child friendly scissors. Completing the craft will give them a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. You can then begin to explore other possibilities choosing more difficult skills as they progress.

The benefits of craft for young children are many. Cutting, sticking and colouring require use of both hands, bilateral coordination, which will help with the development of other skills such as dressing, tying shoelaces and writing etc.

Fine motor skills are developed when drawing shapes, cutting out and painting and these dexterity skills will help in other areas such as getting dressed and coping with buttons, eating and when they get to school.

Crafts and painting crafts need drying time and this is a great way for the child to learn patience and self regulation. Also as crafts don’t always turn out as we had planned this encourages your child to develop problem solving techniques and flexibility of thinking. Remember there are no right or wrong ways to explore your own creativity. Our range of safe, quality art and craft toys from Planet Apple, can help your child learn and develop through play at the same time developing their budding artistic talent.

Remember that the objective is to build confidence and to have fun. Many adults use art as a method of relaxation and these skills will have started to develop as a very young child; they are the life enhancing building blocks for their future life. In addition to have the confidence to develop their creativity and think ‘outside the box’ will stand them in good stead in all areas of life for the future. Our attitude to overcoming challenges throughout life is something which can be taught and the development of these skills start when they are very young.