Teaching children social and emotional skills is getting new attention in the world of education. Some experts say doing arts and crafts at home and at school can help build those abilities.
Marygrace Berberian is an art therapist and social worker who teaches at New York University. She says that because the creative process requires invention and trial-and-error, children can learn to manage frustration through art.
She says the creative process can also teach children to connect to the more emotional parts of themselves.
Calls for social and emotional skills are coming from many areas, says Jacqueline Jodl. She directs the Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development.
“Families and parents are requesting help with social and emotional learning,” she says. “Teachers also are really starting to express demand for it.”
Jodl says the business community also continues to ask for students with a wider mix of skills than those traditionally taught at schools.
In addition, an increasing number of young people are facing emotional challenges, says Melissa Schlinger. She is a vice president of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL, which is based in Chicago. CASEL does research, policy and guidance work on social and emotional learning in schools.
Schlinger says, “Anxiety and depression are on the rise for young people.”
How to use art to help
Experts suggest four ways to more purposefully combine social and emotional learning with children’s art projects at home, school or anywhere.
1 - Think about the needs of the child when choosing materials.
Art therapist Marygrace Berberian notes that a child seeking control might gain something from beading or pencil drawing, for example. But a child who needs more freedom might learn more from working with paints or clay.
2 - Give kids control over their projects.
For example, Chicago-based arts organization Marwen gave a printmaking class in which students created small prints on what was important to them. Christian Ortiz supervises the art programs at Marwen. He suggested giving students the freedom to “interpret a project” through their own experience and viewpoints.
Marygrace Berberian advises parents not to control how a child does an art project at home. Instead, she suggests, ask kids about their creations and the decisions they made and why.
3 - Create a lesson along with the project.
Melissa Mellor, who is with the Aspen Institute, remembers her young son doing an art project about learning from mistakes. The class read a book about a girl who turned a mistake into something beautiful. Then, each student received a piece of paper with marks already on it. Their job was to use a drawing tool to turn it into a piece of art. The project aimed to teach flexibility, problem solving, creativity and the ability to grow from mistakes.
And 4 - Make art together.
Marygrace Berberian says when people work together in the creative process, they are “mirroring each other and celebrating each other’s artistic practice.” In other words, it naturally builds understanding between them.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Molly Sprayregen wrote this story for the Associated Press. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
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Words in This Story
craft – n. an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands
frustration – n. a feeling of anger or annoyance caused by being unable to do something
anxiety – n. fear or nervousness about what might happen
beading – n. the craft or pastime of stringing beads together to make jewelry or other decorative items
pencil drawing – n. a picture that is made by making lines on a surface with a pencil
clay – n. a heavy, sticky material from the earth that is made into different shapes and that becomes hard when baked or dried
printmaking – n. the activity or occupation of making pictures or designs by printing them from prepared plates or blocks
interpret – v. to understand something in a specified way
flexibility – n. willing to change or to try different things
mirroring – n. the act of being very similar to something
