It seems almost funny to equate making of 4th of july crafts with self esteem. Parents and teachers need something to do for their children so they look up some easy art projects for kids. What in heavens name does this have to do with children and their self esteem? There is actually a very close connection between the two. As a preschool teacher and director I had many chances to spend lots of time in various early childhood classrooms. What a common sight in many of these classrooms is that regardless of the season or Holiday, each classroom would be creating crafts for that holiday or season.
I would walk into the classrooms for example, and see 25 pictures of squirrels hung across the room, or 25 trees depending of course on the season. One of the best ways to encourage a child’s self stemmed is to allow them some individuality to create what they are capable of creating. What was happening in those classrooms however, was that there was no individuality at all given to the children. The children were all expected to create exactly the same picture or project that their friend was making.
When we give children materials and an idea and tell them that they are free to create this project in the way they see fit, then there is nothing that gives a child a better self esteem. When he walks into his classroom and sees 25 project, yet he knows exactly which one is his, then we know he is feeling pretty good about himself. It is really sad how many early childhood classrooms are helping to destroy children’s self esteem by making them follow the idea of the adults and having them all create the same exactly project. Crafts can be such a wonderful conduit for building a child’s self esteem so why don’t more early childhood teachers use it.