Handwork

Working to create and build with natural materials fosters well-being in children. Through handwork, children learn resourcefulness and expand their view of themselves as capable beings.

Research shows that children need to gain tools to re-center themselves and self-regulate and to succeed across all areas of school. Handwork is an effective way to introduce children to these lifelong skills.

Children learn about beauty, color, and form while engaging their fingers in ways that build their creative thinking. Sight, touch, movement, and balance are strengthened when doing handwork.

Handwork expectations change as children’s development allows. For example, our younger children explore liquid watercolors with droppers or stitch using a frame, while our older children weave, knit, whittle, or create elaborate wooden structures. These activities ground children in their abilities and serve as a common language for building classroom community.