While most people think of February as the month of love, some places celebrate it as friendship month. And what better way is there to celebrate friendship than by making some heartfelt gifts for your best friends? Working on creative crafts is beneficial to young children at the PYP level. Not only does it engage kids and nurture their creativity, it also improves their fine motor skills and builds confidence.
Arts and crafts can create a sense of achievement which boosts their self-esteem. Your child will be able to exercise their creative thinking while working their little hands on these craft activities that will help them reflect on the idea of friendship and appreciate their friends more. Here are 3 friendship day craft ideas that are fun to work at and a great way to express love to their friends!
Draw their hearts out
Sometimes the simplicity of drawing can convey a powerful message – after all, a picture paints a thousand words! This is a simple arts and crafts activity that doesn’t need much preparation! Give your child the materials of their choice. It could be markers, crayons, or colour pencils.
Before they begin drawing, encourage them to reflect about their friendships. You can prompt them by asking questions such as “what makes your friend special?” or “what is your favorite activity you guys did together?”. Get them to draw out scenes or what comes to their mind. The completed product can be gifted to the friend as a meaningful memento!
Friendship bracelets
The classic friendship bracelets are little gifts that can remind your friends of you and symbolise your friendship. There are many ways to make your very own personalised friendship bracelets using materials that you can find in your home. The easiest type of friendship bracelet can be made by stringing together beads on a thread. Children can explore various colour combinations to create a beautiful accessory for their friend.
Parents can help by tying the knots or attaching a clasp to the bracelet. For a bit more fun, why not DIY your own beads as well? You can do that using pasta or drinking straws. To personalise it even further, get your child to use alphabet beads to spell out their friend’s name!
Compliment cards
Teaching children kindness can be easier than it seems. Compliments are a great gift as they are a confidence booster and it can show your appreciation to someone. Get your kids to brainstorm a couple of compliments for their friends and write each one on a card. You can get creative or brainstorm together while teaching your child new adjectives and phrases at the same time.
Next, have your child write the name of the friend they would like to give each compliment to, and pass the card to them the next time they meet! A couple of nice words is sure to put a smile on their recipient’s face!
Conclusion
Art and crafts are always a good way to learn and explore – not just creativity, but also bigger concepts like friendship! Your child can also have fun engaging with art and creative exercises if they are enrolled in an IB PYP school in Singapore with a holistic curriculum. Check out the international schools in Singapore near you to find the right match!