Happy Hands
“May my hands complete my task with patience, May my work be done with care, May my fingers work as friends together, May I my laughter share.” (SDFG handwork verse)
Busy hands are happy hands, hands that learn and do. We know that little ones learn from imitation. We teach them finger plays, and give their little hands materials like dough, modeling beeswax and yarn to let them explore with. Slowly they become the ‘master’s’ of their hands and fingers, and discover that they can cover the right holes to play the flute, that they can make a beautiful stitches, and form a piece of modeling wax into a kitten.
By showing little ones how to make things with their own hands, you are empowering them with new skills, you are teaching them a respect for a craft and the materials they use, you are teaching them how to follow instructions and to problem solve. Learning a craft and how to use tools, teaches abilities that can be applied in other ways.
Ease of making the toys
These toys have been made by children, their parents and grandparents for over 18 years now. I have heard of some clever 4 year olds who, with help from an adult, created some of these toys, and some other very self reliant 6 year olds who make the toys themselves, with no help from Mom, thank you!
Other than being able to follow directions, and basic hand sewing, wrapping, cutting and gluing, there are no special skills required to make these toys.