How to Engage Children in Creating Family Folk Art?!

Folk art is a traditional form of creative expression or craft created by a specific group of people or culture. Folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic.

Artisans and craftspeople from around the globe have created folk art in their own traditions for centuries.

This kind of exercise is important for your students because it can help them explore their own family's heritage through the eyes of folk art. This colorful craft will help to encourage self-exploration, developing research skills, and working cooperatively within the family unit.

To begin your art, all what you need is:

1.    Cardboard
2.    Construction paper
3.     Modeling clay
4.    Fabric scraps
5.    Clear drying, non-toxic glue
6.     Scissors
7.    Markers
8.     Paints and paint brush and any other desired material related to your folk art

The steps you have to works through:

1.    Let your children or students research for their cultural heritage: they can start with a family-wide search or ask elder family members about their cultural heritage and traditions.

2.    If they are not satisfied by the information they got let them move onto a web- or book-based search. They can use sites to look for their cultural background that include the arts and artisans of the region.

3.    You can also go on a visit with them to the library and search for nonfiction books with pictures of folk art and descriptions of the art’s rich history.

4.    Let them choose a specific folk art project from their research or use what they’ve found as the basis for a completely new family art tradition. They can write a small brief statement to go with this new family tradition explaining the significance behind what they have chosen to make.

5.    Let them begin implementing their project by collecting all the needed materials. You can offer them some household items such as used fabric scraps or cardboard boxes can be worked in to the project.

6.    Let their imagination sparks and create their own folk art!

7.    Let them display their new family folk art in the home for everyone to see. Draft a brief written statement to go with this new family tradition that explains the significance behind what you have chosen to make.