Teaching Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts boost kids’ and young people’s imagination and creativity. A growing number of teachers therefore include them in their lessons including subjects such as science, math and humanity. In addition, arts and crafts allow pupils to learn about art, develop their artistic skills and have fun at the same time.

In the selection of arts and crafts projects, teachers should consider the following factors:

• Age. Obviously, the project should be appropriate for the pupils’ age. If the project is too easy, it may be considered dull, while too difficult tasks may make the pupils frustrated. Age is therefore the very first thing that should be considered in the selection of arts and crafts projects.

• Subject. Obviously, arts and crafts projects should be related to the subject in order to enable the pupils to learn while having fun.

• Time required. The pupils must have enough time to complete the project. If it cannot be completed within one school hour, it should either be completed at home or during the next class. But since the curriculum is quite intense, arts and crafts can also be a home project.

• Pupils’ interests. Young kids enjoy drawing, painting, making jewellery and various decorative items, etc.. Older kids and young people, on the other hand, prefer more challenging projects that meet their interests. Rather than making jewellery from macaroni, young people will have more fun if asked to design virtual jewellery, make gifts for family, learn how to make films and animation by taking part of the BFI Film and Video Workshop, etc..

• Materials required. Ideally, all the materials required for the planned project should be provided by the school. If this is not possible, it is recommended to choose a project that does not require any expensive materials in order to avoid excluding the pupils from low income families.

Teaching arts and crafts does not have to be limited to hands-on projects alone. In order to improve cultural education, the pupils should not only learn how to do art but about art as well. But to provide them high quality cultural education, kids should also have the opportunity to experience the art scene in the first hand. Learning about art therefore should not be limited to the classroom. Instead, the pupils should be occasionally taken to galleries, museums, cultural events, etc.. Many children and young people visit prominent cultural events and institutions with their parents but those who come from poor families often do not have the opportunity to experience the world of art outside school.