Yesterday we were at the library for storytime, and in the end the kids made fall necklaces. They strung beads on strung paper leaves. Some kids necklaces looked very uniformed, and followed a strick pattern. Then came my sons, it looked like a two year old made it, there was no rhyme or reason to how he put the beads on or the leaves. Unlike many of the others who had 5 beads a leaf, and 5 more beads. Well I'm sure there was actually a lot of reason to where he put things, he is very determined.
Most of the children lost interest very quickly, I assumed it was because that is a difficult fine motor skills for young preschoolers to thread small beads on a piece of yarn. Obviously that plays a factor but also maybe its because some got bored of listening to their parents tell them how to put beads on. I heard one mom say, why is it always the mom that has to finish the craft? I thought why are you finishing it? If she doesn't want the necklace she doesn't want the necklace. Who cares, it will eventually end up in the trash or lost anyway, if she doesn't want it today, she is definitely not going to want it tomorrow. My child's didn't look at nice as some others, but there was no doubt my child designed it himself. After a disaster project the previous day with pom poms, I left the library feeling good, that I didn't tell my son how to create something.
I feel the same way about child-made crafts!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in nursery, we got some new nursery leaders who would try to have 2-3 year olds put Fruit Loops on yarn. Of course most of them would just sit there eating them, and the ones who did put them on a string only got a few into it before losing interest, but I just remember how frustrated the leaders were trying to get them to put them in color patterns and quit eating the cereal. I always just wanted to be like, "what did you expect? and why does it matter?"
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