Crafts With Clay

Children and clay go together like children and water or sand. They love to get their hands dirty while exploring the world around them. With the use of clay they can be taught critical thinking even at an early age. They can be helped to reflect on their own experiences, how to observe models and to use their imagination.

Between the ages of two and six, most children will make clay sculptures by using a roll of clay and then sticking smaller pieces of clay to the larger one to represent ears, legs, or tails. Even at this stage they can be taught to think of better ways to make a tail or an ear remain attached to their sculpture should the appendage happen to fall off.

From the age of six, children can be taught to hold a piece of clay in their hands and continue working with it until they end with the desired object. They may also discover that the piece of clay that they made into a rope looks like a snake and can also become a cup or a vase.

Both age groups can be taught to observe their own creations and critique them. This can be done by having them examine which of the objects they have made is the best in their estimation and why.

Working with clay is a way for children to put their whole self into a project. They can pound, hit, squeeze, and bend the clay into all kinds of shapes and sizes. This is a good way for them to learn how to express their feelings appropriately.

Perhaps the most important aspect of having children work with clay is to encourage their creativity.