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Art and Craft Safety for Children

Shamima Fowzee • Jul 19, 2022

Art and Craft Safety for Preschooler

Art and craft safety for Parents and children

 

Children enjoy art and craft activities which provide fun opportunity to learn and improve their skills. When creating an  arts and craft activity, we mostly think children are busy with drawing, painting, cutting pasting. As a practitioner/ parents we teach about health and safety during craft activity. However, it can be a place where safety hazards exist and children‘s health can be compromised. Children are very young they might know but couldn’t handle without elder support. We as a practitioner or parents have to identify the support a young child may need when carrying out craft activities in relation to health and safety.

For each activity the health and safety risks that would need to be considered when providing the activity for young children. Lets see how to the deal with the health and safety risks in relation to each craft activity. 

 Age Appropriate :
Not all craft activities are right for children. We have to plan Craft activities should be age-appropriate and they are much more enjoyable and resources should be according to their age requirement. We should follow the recommended age grading for each craft or the age mentioned on the product packaging, whichever is older. Crafts are graded by age based on the products used and recommended extra resources. Adults are responsible for ensuring that the crafts are not accessible to children under the age range specified in the age grading. If you have any questions about a product, contact the manufacturer to find out what substances are used in the products and if they are safe for children.

Supervision:
Any arts and crafts activity requiring adult supervision must be supervised by an adult. Close monitoring and involvement can help prevent accidents and ensure that arts and crafts supplies are used properly. Small components should be avoided in activity’s involving children under the age of three. Sharp points should not be used near children under the age of four. Read the product instructions and safety warnings to yourself first, then to your children. So you don't have to leave the young children alone, gather everything you'll need for the activity. Before beginning a activity, research the possible dangers of every tool or supplier.

Inhalation Risks
Inhaling dust and fumes from art and craft supplies can be dangerous. Chalk, ceramic glaze, paints, dry or powered clay, oil paints, spray paints, markers, and other materials can all pose a threat. Use adequate ventilation or do the activities outside. Proper ventilation is a must, especially considering that many of us do our crafting in small spaces Open windows or use a fan to point fumes and dust away from you and children. In some situations, it might be safer to work outdoors.

Risks to skin:
Cuts, irritations, allergic reactions, and burns can all be caused by several arts and crafts products. These injuries can be caused by scissors, hot glue guns, and solvents. Protect your hands, torso, and head with protective gear.

Use items only for skin painting or food preparation if they are specifically labelled for that use.

Material Handling:
Do your research, read the labels carefully, and follow the directions wherever children is involved - whether you're buying toys or supplies and equipment for enjoyable arts and crafts activity, child's safety always comes first. Don't utilize resources for things they weren't meant to be used for. When feasible, choose safer materials, but keep all items out of reach of children. Organize your stuff.

Working directly from the original product containers is not recommended; instead, open them, take what you need, and reseal them. Cleaning egg carton parts, yogurt containers, throwaway drinking cups, and other items to store paint during art and craft can be done. 

Take only as much paint as you'll need for that day's activity. Any unused paint should be disposed of by flushing it down the drain (away from your food preparation area) or sealing it in a container and placing it in a trash can or dumpster outside the building. The unused sections should not be returned to the original container since they may deteriorate and contaminate the remaining paint.

Risks of Ingestion:
Children of any age can inadvertently consume harmful chemicals, but children are more vulnerable. Turpentine, paints, and pigments are all potentially hazardous.

Precautions For Safety
Art and craft time may be soothing for young children while also encouraging them to express themselves in new ways. Children can safely enjoy your creativity by following a few easy safety precautions. While working with children, make sure they do not eat or drink the art material like paints. After each use, wash the children's hands, your own hands, and your materials thoroughly. It's not a good idea to put the clean-up area in the middle of the room.

Do not move your art supplies to another container. Always keep them in their original package, which contains information on the ingredients and safety precautions.

When young children are utilizing things that are sharp or could be eaten, provide adequate supervision.

Before using any products make sure that are not including any of ingredients that are associated with common allergies like peanuts, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, eggs, or milk. Young may have allergies to this ingredients. 

Scissors have sharp cutting edges, so use caution when cutting or handling them." Only children above the age of four should use blunt-tip scissors. Only children aged 6 and up should use scissors with a pointed tip.

Children under the age of four should not do crafts that require the use of a functional sharp point." (Use staples, chenille stems/pipe cleaners, wire, pins, jewelry backings, sewing needles, or pushpins/thumb tacks, for example.) Adult supervision is required, and adult help may be required. An open-bladed craft knife or a carving knife should never be used by a child of an adult.

Ventilation
If you're working on a craft activity that produces fumes, vapors, or dust, be sure you have enough ventilation. Even elements that are harmless in little amounts might be dangerous in huge amounts. Even little amounts of dust from treated wood or dried clay might be dangerous. You'll need a system that can remove old air while also bringing in new air. An open window may be enough. Remember to clean the work area after finishing the activity.

Good health and safety habits may be acquired at any age, and no child is ever too young to be safe when participating in a fun craft activity. Today's safety and labeling requirements are intended to ensure that children's art and craft goods are safe when used as intended. Anyone buying art supplies for children should read the labels and safety warnings to make sure the materials are suitable and safe.

Don’t forget to pin these tips

Art and craft safety for preschooler

Shamima's Early Years Blog

by Shamima Fowzee 19 Jul, 2022
Many parents nowadays rely on technology to keep their children engaged and occupied, entirely overlooking the benefits of arts and crafts. True, technology is beneficial, and children should be exposed to it, but this should never come at the price of their ability to play and create with their hands. There are several advantages to arts and crafts that go beyond merely allowing you to express yourself. Let’s have a look of benefits and learning from craft activities. Crafting improves coordination and fine motor skills A lot of crafts involve a variety of different aspects: from cutting, gluing, and manipulating items. Sticking, colouring, gluing, cutting, and staying within lines or patterns, can help children develop fine motor skills and enhance hand-eye coordination. Even simple chores like sorting squares of tissue paper and scrunching them up into the correct form are beneficial to their development. Using these things children involve physically to create new outcome. Bending and twisting objects, such as pipe cleaners, will help to improve fine motor abilities while also being enjoyable. Improves vocabulary and pre-writing skills In many craft activity children come across many new word, things and knowledge so their vocabulary increase. When teacher say something to draw or show something children get to know about that picture’s word in their mind. Young children usually begin using crayons/pencil/pens by scribbling random things. They will learn how to regulate their own motions as well as how to make various shapes, which will eventually lead to the creation of letters. To put it another way, the more they scribble, the faster they'll learn what they need to know about writing clearly. Develop children’s literacy and communication skills Art and crafts skills for young children span a wide range of topics, from speaking and reading to listening and understanding. When children create art or crafts, they have the opportunity to discuss their creation, which improves their communication abilities. Why did you choose that colour?” “Tell me about what you made.” Parents teach them new terminology, and they utilize their listening skills to obey verbal directions. A skill that all parents want their children to master as soon as possible so that they may begin to listen to us! Develop children’s emergent mathematical skills Basic arithmetic abilities are sometimes overlooked when it comes to arts and crafts activities. Math abilities, on the other hand, are often utilized and have a favourable impact on the development of mathematical skills in preschool children. Children may learn to recognize and count different shapes, count and arrange their art tools, and even measure the lengths and sizes of various art materials. You'll need strong thinking and problem-solving abilities to grasp arithmetic, which art and crafts activities may aid with. There are so many activities where children get chance to count the objects like pasting Pastas, Draw Family Picture etc. Makes children more creative and productive Children's imaginations know no bounds, and arts and crafts are a fantastic way for them to channel that unbridled creativity into something more useful. There are a variety of materials, colours, forms, and activities from which they may choose, allowing youngsters to experiment with numerous alternatives and select the ones that they love the best. Who knows, kids could even find a pleasant pastime, such as sketching, that can later turn into a rich job, such as graphic design. Creativity is about thinking, investigating, finding, and inventing, not about achieving something better than others. Provide Multicultural Understanding: Making crafts from other countries is a fun way to teach children about different cultures and traditions. It's a great approach to demonstrate that all civilizations are equal and interesting to study. This will enable children to comprehend a wide range of individuals and make them more welcoming of everybody. During Many activities (in form of picture and colours) children understands about the world creatures, climates etc like: - Weather, Animals, Birds, Family, Behaviour and Emotions. Children who are familiar with other cultures will be more accepting of classmates who have different beliefs and practices. If there are children who have unusual eating habits or dress in unusual ways, your children will accept it and may already understand why they eat or dress the way they do. It becomes “normal” to them, and they don't see the purpose in bringing it up. Inspires children to think critically Art offers many possibilities and options—will their home have a red or black roof? Is it going to be a dog or a cat? How will the clouds and birds be depicted? All of these options encourage children to think critically, deliberate, and assess their own choices so that they can repeat or modify them in the future. They will feel more at ease considering various options and more confident in making decisions as a result of this. It will also encourage children to experiment with other combinations and come up with their own ideas, which is a valuable ability for people of all ages. Allows Quality time between Children in classroom Or bonding with Parents at home Working on crafts with your children will strengthen the relationship between the children and the practitioner in classroom or parent at home. Crafting with your child allows you to spend valuable time together while also creating vital memories that will last far longer than the craft. While you're crafting together, you'll have more opportunities to chat to each other, and you'll learn more about their day, their hopes, and their concerns than you would otherwise. Set aside some time each week to do crafts with your children. For them, this is tremendously fulfilling. Helps children to learn team work and being socialize Working on a craft project with your child may help them develop collaboration, communication, and social skills since they will need to learn to cooperate and communicate in order to finish their projects. Crafting can also be a great team/group activity. It doesn't matter how old they are or what race they are when it comes to creativity; all that counts is what they can create. Children are inherently interested, so if they like what another children has drawn, built with Lego blocks, or coloured, they will eagerly approach them. Build children’s Self-Esteem: Craft activities are a great way to build their self-esteem and allow them to express their emotions. It offers children a sense of accomplishment and allows them to take pleasure in their work, which increases their self-esteem. Making art is a wonderful, safe method to learn that it's alright to make errors and that doing things "wrong" may lead to entirely new ideas. Children get to explore new things while honing their "self-control abilities" (e.g. when waiting for paint or glue to dry). This helps in the development of patience, which is something that all children require assistance with. Helps children to make decisions and choices This advantage of creating is that it allows children to choose what sort of craft to produce, how to go about producing it, how to design it, and so on, giving them confidence in making their own decisions and thinking about them. It will in still confidence in them as they make their own decisions and consider their options. To make sure you're getting the most out of this opportunity, have the children discuss what they want to produce, instruct them to draw a drawing or template, and have them describe what they want to make, what they need, and how they'll make it to you. Over to you! Let us know if you enjoy doing craft activities with your children, and why, in the comments below.
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