Hi guys, so you can tell from the title of this article that it will talk about art and craft for kids. This article doesn't talk as much about art and craft project ideas, rather it talks about reasons why art and craft are so important for kids, and how parents are involved. With so many new distractions, kids are acting more and more like little adults, not even taking the time to be kids! Art and craft is an excellent way for parents to teach their children, to keep the lines of communication open, and to have fun together.

Kids are naturally creative, so it only makes sense that they are interested in art and craft. In recent years, I've noticed young people's interest in art and craft wax and wane. That may be because of the technological advancements in the past ten years or so.

IPods, iPhones, iPads, Twitter, Facebook, Wii, Xbox, Playstation, PSP, DS, DSI, 3DS, texting and more! Technology has become so rampant, so pervasive in our day to day lives that there just isn't the time that we used to have, and people, adults as well as children, are even suffering withdrawal symptoms when they can't update their online status!

Don't get me wrong, I love technology as much as the next guy, but it still gets under my skin to see six year olds too busy texting to have a conversation with the person next to them; or hearing them talk about how good they are at killing people in video games.

The good thing about art and craft is that it's fun. Fun things are easier to make time for, after all who wouldn't make time for something that they think is enjoyable, especially kids, who don't have as many constraints on their time as perhaps you or I.

Another good thing about art and craft is that it's flexible in being age appropriate. Just like video games have a rating system for age appropriateness, art and craft projects do too. It isn't just about non-toxic glue and glitter-(thank god). I have seen art and craft projects that are targeted at preschoolers, teenagers, and adults. Take for example, the macaroni frame. All it is is a piece of sturdy cardboard which is smeared with glue, macaroni is placed in the glue, and then an adult spray paints it. Easy kid stuff. As they grow, they can use different medium, like making stuff out of duct tape. Duct tape stuff was always cool in middle school, duct tape wallets, binders; I've even seen duct tape shoes and prom suits and dresses. When being cool counts, being able to make something like that would do wonders for self esteem and popularity, (which to most kids, is ALL that matters in high school).

So art and craft does good things for kids in the long run. It gives them skills that they can use as they grow, their self esteem, and self worth will be more in their control than simply relying on the opinions of their peers, and they'll be having fun as well. (That will give them something to post on Facebook!)

In the short term, art and craft does something even more important. Many families are so busy that they hardly see one another. The pressures of just putting food on the table are increasing for parents, in many families; both parents have to work full time. In fact, a study out of Britain's Office for National Statistics found that in households where both parents work full time, parents spent only 19 minutes with their children each day. (Less than two and a half hours each week!) Kids don't have it much easier. Schoolwork is tougher now than it was when I was in school, and I just graduated high school six years ago!

Those pressures are leaving gaps in the family. Maire Fahey, who served as the editor of Prima, a British Magazine centered on family issues, art and craft, and the like said:

"In the 1980s, we thought we could have it all and aspired to high-flying careers and happy families. "But the cracks are starting to show. Family life is suffering and something has got to give."

As time passes, and the job of being a parent only becomes tougher, i.e. when their kids become teenagers. Many parents find, only too late, that their kids have learned to look elsewhere for guidance, and association. At this point, parents are wishing that they had more influence in their children's life, and some children are wishing that their parents didn't exist at all.

It doesn't have to be like that!

If parents and kids take an interest in each other, and set aside time to work together doing something simple, like an art or craft project, a bond of trust will develop. Children are programmed to look to their parents for attention, communication, and affection. If parents give their children what they need; their kids will reciprocate by giving their parents their attention, by allowing the lines of communication to stay open, and astonishingly, by actually respecting the parent's viewpoint.

Really taking an interest in each other involves more than just a hit and miss schedule of doing things together. Regularity is key. If we regularly take the time to sit down with our kids, and prove to them that they're important to us, then we'll be building a solid relationship with them. I guess the point is: parents and children need each other. Art and craft is the best way I can think of to make whatever time spent with our kids’ quality time.

The good news is, there is no shortage of simple ideas that take less than five minutes to make, but can be used for hours, kept for years, and appreciated for a lifetime.

I hope you can stay busy with your kids, little projects go a long way, and we only get one shot to raise them right. Your kids would love to spend some quality time with you, so start now! You'll benefit now, and a long time to come.