Creativity Session with a Toddler: Why Is It Worth It?
A creativity session with a toddler is both fun and quite a challenging endeavor. Unpredictable weather, racing against time, and all the clothing changes can make participating in a short creativity session rather stressful. But why is it still worth doing and attending the session? The organizer of Haldjapere creativity sessions shares the benefits.
Rhythm and Routine are Beneficial
A creativity session offers a set structure that helps create and maintain the necessary rhythm for a child. It also supports the daily home schedule, providing children with a consistent routine and parents with peace of mind that a weekly activity is already planned.
Individual Time and Community
Each parent is present in the creativity session for their child, providing an opportunity to focus solely on them. While it is a group session, each family’s activity remains individual. The social aspect is more evident before and after the session when parents exchange impressions and form a small community.
Someone Else Plans the Activities
Attending a creativity session means that parents don’t have to constantly come up with new developmental activities themselves. The sessions are age-appropriate, engaging, and developmental, allowing children to learn through hands-on activities and giving parents a break from planning creative activities.
Strengthening the Bond
Weekly creativity sessions give parents and children a chance to strengthen their relationship. Hands-on activities and shared moments help reinforce the bonds between parent and child and develop the child’s ability to adapt to various situations.
Motor Skills Development
Creativity sessions pay close attention to the development of both fine and gross motor skills. Children practice manual dexterity, strength, coordination, and balance—important skills for future reading and writing.
Senses and Discovery
Creativity sessions use a variety of materials that offer children interesting sensory experiences. These materials support the child’s development by stimulating different senses, giving them the opportunity to explore the world in new and exciting ways.
Language and Speech
Creativity sessions are a great opportunity to learn new words and concepts. A rich vocabulary and thematic discussions contribute to the development of a child’s language and speech skills.
Practicing Social Skills
In creativity sessions, children learn social skills such as sharing, interacting with friends, and politeness. This is their first step in learning how to consider others and function in society. The sessions are designed to also promote the development of executive functions in small ways. While waiting for crafting instructions or materials, or performing a given task, children exercise focus, working memory, self-management, time management, willpower, flexibility, and persistence. These skills are later important in both school and everyday life.
Creativity and Making Things
Children can take pride in their accomplishments by creating something new on their own. This builds their confidence and the ability to independently shape their own lives. Creativity sessions practice creativity by finding balance between order and chaos. Children learn how to bring order to creative and playful activities.
Brain Development
Hands-on activities support the development of a child’s brain. Every activity in the creativity session stimulates new connections and, in turn, brain development, which is essential for learning and experimenting.
Peace and Stress Relief
Hands-on activities are calming and help relieve stress. For both children and parents, the creativity session provides a relaxing and supportive environment. For parents, it is especially comforting to know that cleaning up after the creativity session is someone else’s responsibility—at the end of the session, the parent can leave peacefully without worrying about tidying up the mess.
Creativity sessions are much more than just an hour of fun hands-on acivities—they are also valuable time shared between parent and child, offering the opportunity to support the child’s natural development and foster their creativity, fine motor skills, and social skills.
Don’t have Willuwalk yet? You can get it here, of course for free.