Crafts for Kids in the ESL or Language Classroom
Doing Arts & Crafts Teaches New and Focused Vocabulary
Aug 17, 2009
Students learn vocabulary through arts and crafts. When craft-making is taught in a language classroom, whether for English as a Second Language, or regular language learners, or in the homeschool lesson, new vocabulary is necessary to carry out the process of making something. These new words, through the illustration of the craft, are added to the students’ vocabulary banks. What better way to teach words than show their meaning in such literary terms?
Handwork in the Classroom: The Rationale
Teachers are sometimes doubtful that a craft activity does anything other than give students a fun time in the class. However, involvement in a project creates a situation in which the students are talking about the new subject, discussing aspects of the work, looking for different ideas, and using language with instruction and detail. Craft-making, also serves to:
- teach students to listen to and follow instructions given to them
- learn new vocabulary relating to a craft not known to them
- encourage kids to work in teams, consequently using language to help each other, communicate and function
- pique their interest in a new hobby
- inspire students to think outside the box through brainstorming and discussion based on the new craft
- expose them to handwork to develop fine hand movement skills and crafting techniques
Making Craft Projects for Special Occasions
Besides the positive aspects of the physical handwork itself, here are further reasons to spend time involving a class in this kind of lesson. Create a piece of hand "artwork" to:
- celebrate a holiday, such as Christmas, New Year.
- celebrate a birthday of a student, by making candles or cake decorations.
- relax after a test. Clay figurines,origami, rubber stamping or any paper craft can be fun,
- illustrate a topic the students have read about, such as painting or basket-weaving,
- create props, such as masks or costumes, for a class play or classroom “dress-up” box,
- use in a “Show and Tell” in which students teach others how to do their craft
- create gifts to take to a charity organization, or for Mother’s/Father’s day.
All of these ideas above will enhance communication. New vocabulary will be repeated and students will learn how to use the newly acquired words in a meaningful way. Most of all, students will be really proud when they take home something that they did.
Preparing a Craft Lesson
Teachers should choose something they themselves are able to make, both before the class for a prepared sample to show, and during the class for the students to see and follow.
Web sites, such as You-Tube have videos of “how-to-make” items. If it is not functional or affordable to have a craft lesson in the classroom, students can watch and report on a presentation they saw. However, a real hands-on workshop will spur on the students to communicate, work together, offer help to others, attempt something new, and perhaps go home with a nice souvenir and memories from an enjoyable lesson.
Suit the craft to the ability, age, sex, and interest of the students in the class. Choose something that can be worked on in pairs so that some students known for less dexterity in their hands will be able to work with a partner.
Classes such as these should never be set up for failure of anybody, especially very young students. Failed creativity can be more devastating than receiving a low grade on a test. These classes need to make students feel good and have fun, cooperate and communicate, be happy in the classroom, and after they leave.
Craft classes can also act as an equalizer wherein students who do not usually excel academically may have an opportunity to show their own special skills in the form of handwork well done.
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