Flex Your Creative Muscles This Summer
Has the summer heat got you down? It might be time for a summer art attack! While kids are out of school for the summer, arts and crafts make great opportunities to keep their minds engaged while working on motor skills, spatial awareness, creative thinking, and other cognitive skills. Plus, art can be a great way to help kids or teenagers who are feeling stressed about starting a new school year. We’ve put together a list of ideas to help you get started—and these aren’t just for kids!
Make it a Party
Many of our favourite creative pursuits can feel isolating at times. Holed up at home drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, or writing can start to feel lonely, and you might find yourself getting frustrated or discouraged if you aren’t seeing the results you want. This can be true for kids as well, who might start losing interest in a favourite hobby or showing signs of boredom. If you feel like your kids might be in need of a little creative reset, consider making a day of it by organizing an event for friends or family to work on art projects together. This could be an informal get-together or a great excuse for a party!
Especially for kids who aren’t attending summer camps or other summer programming, the opportunity to socialize brings an exciting change of pace. Working together on art projects prompts kids to practice sharing, collaborative problem-solving, teamwork, and other important skills.
You can invite guests to bring their own creative projects to work on, giving everyone an opportunity to share art tools (stay tuned, Carli D art tools will be available soon). Alternatively, this is also a great opportunity to work on a project together. An art project box with supplies and instructions for completing a unique project will make the organizational work easy for you—all you’ll have to do is tally up the number of guests and place your order. Plus, turning your art project into a social event can help you access the mental health benefits of art and creativity. An upbeat party atmosphere makes it easier to laugh off your mistakes and lets you focus on the process rather than the results.
Choose a Theme
Picking a theme for an art party—or simply for an afternoon of casual creativity—can get those creative juices flowing and kickstart some new ideas. If you have kids, this can also be an amazing (and memorable!) chance to sneak in a little learning or some family bonding. Maybe this involves spending some time with a grandparent to learn how to cook their special recipe, or planning and planting a special patch of garden together. If you aren’t able to get together with your family or friends in person right now, you could use a theme to guide some family history or a lesson in someone’s special skill over a video call while you create together.
Take it Outside
Sometimes a change of scene can make a world of difference! Especially with the soaring temperatures we’ve had this summer, you (or your kids) might be feeling that it’s just too hot for many of your favourite outdoor activities. Taking an art project out into your backyard or down the street to a local park can let you enjoy the fresh air from a shady spot where you won’t have to worry about heat exhaustion. Bring some lemonade or fresh fruit and turn it into a picnic!
Try Something New
By the middle of the summer, you might find that the days are starting to blur together. Trying out a new creative hobby can help you shake off that summer funk. Remember that not every hobby you pick up needs to be a long-term one—it’s okay to play around and focus on having fun and stretching those creative muscles! Plus, for kids, art has a huge range of developmental, cognitive, and emotional benefits. Current research on how art can impact kids suggests a correlation between participation in the arts and improved math, literacy, science, and other subjects, as well as better attendance and better behaviour in the classroom. On top of all that, setting aside some arts-and-crafts time every day gives you time to try new things together, keep your kids stimulated while they’re out of school, and stave off summer boredom.
Tip: When it’s thirty degrees out and back-to-school advertising has only just started, the winter holidays might seem like a long ways off—but this works just as well for the holiday season. Arts and craft supplies or specialty art project kits make great seasonal gifts for friends and family, while also providing some built-in entertainment and creative engagement for the holiday season.
Check it out! Stay tuned for the "For Creators Corner" section to our site, where you can browse high-quality art tools and supplies to expand your collection.