Are Crafts, Art, and Hands-on Projects Really Necessary???

When it comes to teaching a lesson do you find that you skip or skimp on the crafts and hands-on activities? You may want to think twice about doing this. Is it really benefiting your kids to skip the fun stuff?
According to Scholastic, PBS, and researchers from Project Zero at Harvard University, adding art and hands-on projects in the classroom has numerous developmental benefits that are critical to the learning process. This is especially true when it comes to the growing brains of young children who rely heavily on visual and kinesthetic learning...

If you take out the fun stuff you could be stifling their learning by only engaging one part of their brain. In fact, studies show that manipulating things activates kids’ brains. The more parts of the brain you use, the more likely you are to retain the information. Kids who use their hands and mind to learn are more engaged and focused.
Providing many opportunities for your students to use their senses to learn, whether they are age 5 or a teen in high school, is vitally important. So, how does a teacher do this? What if you’re not a crafty person? I find it more fun to plan and teach lessons that have arts and activities then a lesson focused on lectures, reading and test taking. Success with arts in the classroom begins with your curriculum. You don’t have to be an artist to incorporate arts and hands-on activities. As educators, it’s our job to enable our students, point them in the right direction, and provide them with the items necessary for success. So, all you have to do is simply provide the materials and directions. I find it very enjoyable and satisfying to gather a bag of supplies then watch my students create an art piece, book, or execute an activity. Each child has their unique interpretation of the topic we learned about or a certain smile on their face when they are doing something that intrigues their mind. This is why I began writing fun hands-on unit study curriculum.
Discover Unit Studies offers curriculum that has a perfect mix of quality academic lessons and fun hands-on projects that will please both the teacher and the student. Our goal is to enable educators to teach academic subjects in a way that captures the mind and heart of their students. With easy-to-follow lesson plans that are full of photos, samples, resources, and step by step instructions, teachers can easily incorporate the fun stuff into each lesson to give your students a full and rich learning experience.
The next time you think about skipping that art activity, remember that crafts and hands-on learning is just as important to their development as language arts and math.
 
~Busy hands means busy brains!~
Resources:
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751901
http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/music-arts/the-importance-of-art-in-child-development/
http://www.pz.harvard.edu/professional-development/online-courses/making-learning-visible