Crafts and Conversation

On the weekend, my daughter and I were in her bedroom creating a playground made out of recycled materials - an Irish Spring soap box for a sandbox (with real sand, thank you very much), a paper towel tube made into a slide, a sparkly green path to walk on, popsicle stick swing set, and a toilet paper roll teeter totter. 

While we were making this “Better-Than-Disney-World” playground, my daughter started talking to me.  She opened up, asked me questions, and started sharing with me.  Right out of the blue.   I’m not going to tell you what she talked to me about because I want to respect her privacy, but the important take away from this is that as she was distracted with cutting paper and creating, she opened up.    

As we crafted, we talked.  And it was great. 

Not only were we doing something that we both enjoyed, but she felt comfortable to talk to me. This is something that I have come to understand; children are more likely to open up and share when there is an activity going on to distract them. Try playing video games, or going for a drive, or something that distracts your kids enough that they feel comfortable talking with you. Or start with small conversations, and go from there.

Written by Paula Dibbits, RECE, Parent Support Educator