Tag: crafting

Crafts Over the Summer

This summer, in India, I’ve done a lot of crafts. These range from painting, to crochet, to embroidery, to balloon animals. They’ve all been a ton of fun and so I thought I’d go in detail about some of the fun things I’ve done this year.

Crochet:

I started learning how to crochet from my great-grandmother, who is a pro at it! We started small, with chains, then rubber bands, flowers, stars, and worked up to super cute bear keychains! I’m really proud of how much I’ve been able to learn in these 2 months.

Painting:

Using paints from my aunt, I first started painting in a coloring book. Currently, I’m working on a sunflower painting, but flipping the colors to their complementary versions (yellow is purple, green is red, etc.). I also painted a t-shirt using fabric paints! (also from my aunt).

PAPERCRAFTS:

Papercrafts are these dolls you can make! A game that I enjoy a lot- Project Sekai- offers up templates for these papercrafts for free, so I got to make a lot this summer! (8 in total).

Embroidery:

I started an embroidery project this summer, using a kit! I’d never really done embroidery before, but using instructions from my grandmother, I was really proud of the end product!

Balloon Animals:

This summer, I bought a balloon making kit. I learned how to make a balloon dog and balloon flowers! I got really good at making them and I still have a bunch of balloons left so I can’t want to keep making more.

What’s your favorite craft?

Why Crafting is Important

Recently, while I’ve been staying in India, I’ve been doing a lot of crafting. From crafting kits to crafts made from old pieces of paper I’ve found, crafting has been something I’ve done every day. It’s been a perfect way to show my creativity and a great way to relax. Arts and Crafts are often regarded as unimportant, but this is a view I believe should change.

Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement. They are also 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance. I think crafting (and arts in general) is an important part of both school and our daily lives and should be implemented more because of the way it benefits school lives and mental health.

Many people don’t realize how studying art or at least taking part in it is extremely beneficial to the studious part of their lives. In countries that mandate the arts, like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherland, schools are often regarded as some of the best in the topics of math and science. In The No Child Left Behind Act clearly mandates the arts (for example music, languages, and art) as core academic subjects. Multiple studies have also shown that extracurricular art activities/studies help keep students in school longer. Brain research also shows that crafts improve skills in math and reading, as well as promoting creativity, social development, and self-worth.

Crafting is a simple, yet effective way to improve mental health. As stated in the last paragraph, crafts promote creativity, social development, and self-worth, 3 major influencers in mental health. Art (or crafting in general) is proven to help you recognize feelings lurking under the surface, greatly boost your self esteem, and relieving your stress. Furthermore, creating things gives you a healthy coping mechanism/outlet which isn’t destructive and allows you to create something you can call your own. Creating art also takes your mind off of your everyday life and therefore provides a distraction from things that could be worrying.

As you can see, crafting is a useful and simple way to both elevate core skills and improve your mental health. Because of these reasons, I believe crafting should be implemented more and become a daily part of people’s everyday lives.

What is your view on crafting?