Importance Of Crafting

Throughout history, people have crafted. Evidence of this has been established by carvings found in ancient burial sites and archeological digs and paintings discovered in caves that date as far back as the caveman. Many forms of art such as famous paintings, sculptures and photography can be found in galleries and museums scattered about the globe. Art can also be found in the hand sewn quilts crafted by great-great grandmothers, mothers and aunts and the hand carved pieces of furniture adorning homes today. No matter the medium or the reasoning behind the creation of the artistic pieces dotting our landscape and homes, art is crafting. In addition to creating functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing items for the home, office or a museum,

Being able to work through a problem using critical thinking is an essential skill that everyone needs to have. No matter whether it is a child trying to decipher how to tie his shoe, or an adult who has to figure out how to unclog a drain, critical thinking is crucial to get through life. When children are taught at a young age how to thread a piece of macaroni onto a string of yarn, they are learning how to hold the yarn just so, how to line up the macaroni onto the yarn and then how to slide it along so that another piece can fit in behind it. The same can be said of other crafting activities such as mixing paints to form new colors, sorting colored buttons or even making houses out of Popsicle sticks. Through these simple craft projects children can learn how to analyze a situation and then figure out how to work through and solve the

When children and adults use their hands to craft there are numerous steps and procedures involved in the task(s). Some crafting activities may include various steps such as sorting, gathering, pinning, cutting, sewing, drawing, painting, coloring, forming and sculpting. Each of these tasks require higher brain functions such as analytical thinking and problem solving. As adults age the chance of their mental capacity to become diminished increases and learning how to do a craft can slow this process down. Some crafts, such as quilting, require a lot of analytical thinking and problem solving. Oftentimes quilting patterns are complex and very detailed, and the process of gathering and matching fabrics can be challenging. Once the crafter has all the materials necessary then the process of putting them all together can be very much like putting together a complicated jigsaw puzzle. The entire process of creating a quilt from start to finish is not only time consuming, but also a great way to stimulate higher brain functions and keep the mind