Learning Life Skills Through Art
Learning Life Skills Through Art
YES! You read that right, life skills through art! Let’s talk about the benefits of doing tie-dye projects with your child and/or students. This all came from when I first learned how to do tie-dye with my students at KFS School, SF. First off, you can get all of the materials needed in one bin from JOANN Fabric, the Tulip Tie-Dye Party Kit. In the kit there are 18 different colors, rubber bands, gloves, and plastic for the floor. All you need to do is purchase the Gildan t-shirt that fits your child. Once you have all of these items let the teaching begin, unless you go into the store. Then have your child pick out the shirt and bin and when you pay they can help with this process such as giving the items to the cashier, life skill!
Once you start the process you will need to wash your t-shirt first and what a great way to start teaching your child life skills. Have your child wash their t-shirt in the washer and dryer. This is a great teaching moment of what to do first and what the buttons mean on the washer and dryer. Once this process is over you then will open the kit and have your child open the plastic bottles, which is working on their fine motor skills. With some children you might want to loosen the top and then have the child opens the rest since this is their project. This will help them feel successful! Once the child fills the plastic bottles with water you can do this many different ways. If you want to work on pouring have water in a cup and the child can pour from the cup or they can pour from the sink. Again, this is about children learning through art.
After all of these steps are done have the child pick from the 8 types of tie-dye looks in the packet that comes in the kit. Once this happens they can figure out what colors they want, which supports the creative process. During this time, if you have more than one child, having each child wait their turn is working on turn taking. Remind them not to use all of the same color in the plastic bottle on one shirt, so they have to share and work together, social skills!
Once the design is chosen, the child will use the rubber bands to hold the t-shirts together for the design they want to do, fine motor skills! If you have a child that has a hard time asking for help this activity, would be perfect to help support the child to ask for help when needed. After all of these steps are done the child will then squirt the dye on the t-shirt. Don’t forget the gloves that are found in the kit!
Now if you are doing this art project at school, this is a great way to connect home with the school since the child has to rinse off the shirt, take off the rubber bands and wash the shirts again. So connect home and school by putting the shirt in a bag and send home. Have each child wash their own t-shirt and then have a tie-dye party at school where everyone can see their own creations! One other option if you have a child that has a hard time with their letters and number you can make them on different items of clothing and dye the letter or number into the clothing, just have fun and let the creative process start! #ad #disclaimer #handmadewithJOANN