What is Handiwork?

Are you sick of bribing your child to finish or start a chore, a task, or something as simple as eating?Would you like your kid to be able to self-regulate on their own without any external rewards?

If you are ready to end the era of carrot -on-a- stick which essentially means always having to put an incentive for your child to motivate them or for them to calm down.

This carrot-on-a-stick approach is used in circus animals to train them to “perform”. Essentially killing any internal drive or motivation to take any initiative Orto persevere in the face of hardship.

As is self-explanatory- this approach causes long-term harm as it affects a child’s ability to self-regulate and hinders their intrinsic self-drive.

This is where handiwork comes in.

Handiwork, simply, is working with your hands.
Let’s look at what teachers have to say about handiwork:

“Working with the hands and developing fine finger movement is in itself a valuable exercise. It’s well known now that finger dexterity builds brain synapses, and concrete thinking and problem-solving in early years leads to enlivened abstract thinking in later years. Over the last fifteen to twenty years, teachers have seen a remarkable decline in children’s fine motor skills.

At the same time, children have been playing more with precisely manufactured toys instead of uneven logs, stones, mud and sand, and of course, they have had far more access to online ‘games’.

These activities have limited the need for very subtle and intricate hand movements – and the need for imagination and creativity in turning something into something else – in other words imagining and inventing something never seen before. Precisely manufactured toys rob the children of their potential for creativity and inventiveness, imagining and calling into being something never seen before – such as a bridge made from mud and sticks, or a boat made from a curled leaf.

Children learn to perceive the world through their senses. Handwork requires rhythmical repetitive movements which promote the production of serotonin, which regulates mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous other physiological processes.“

For the full article read: https://www.waldorfhandwork.org/post/how-handwork-supports-each-child-s-growth-and-development

At Kheloney, we support your child’s development offering simple crafts to introduce handiwork to your child.

For ages 5-7
Simple paper origami crafts like the Djeco  Sea Creatures

Link Here: https://www.kheloney.com/shop/arts-and-crafts/djeco-sea-creatures-origami/

Or children ages 7-9 can enjoy a more challenging craft:

DJECO LGA Paper Creation

Link Here: https://www.kheloney.com/shop/arts-and-crafts/djeco-lga-paper-creation-amazonie-3d-poster-kit/

These beginner crafts allow children to experience the thrill and the satisfaction that can ONLY come from working with your hands. Stay tuned for our next post that will discuss in depth how working with natural materials help children’s development!

See you next time folks,

Let’s connect on Instagram 

Dr. Miral Khalil