Why we should be encouraging our children to ditch digital and embrace the magic of old-school creativity.

Do you remember a time when the only screens your family had were the big clunky TV’s with four whole channels in your lounge room and the windscreen in your family car? If you had these two screens, you were living the Australian dream!

We’re in an era of families having more screens than they do family members … Eeek crazy right? It may seem over the top, but it is now quite the norm to have multiple devices and even use them simultaneously. Double screening is a real thing and it is setting our brains and nervous systems up to need more and more and more. No wonder we feel overwhelmed right?!

With screens taking precedence when it comes to ‘downtime’, it really is time to re- evaluate how we do business and to take a leaf out of the book of generations before us and re-train our brains to be present, to be creative and to be content with the one thing in front of us at the time.

Advocating for old-school hobbies is at the core of our business ethos, and we are super passionate about highlighting the benefits of tangible and tactile crafts that inspire, evoke imagination and nourish the creative brain.

Here are a few super-duper fun facts about the benefits of ditching digital and
embracing analogue … ok ok, fun facts may have been a stretch but they are super interesting!

Enhanced critical thinking

Engaging in hands-on art and crafts allows us to observe the mediums that we are
using and engage with them differently than we would if we were using a device. The 3D elements enable our brains to analyse and evaluate our next move. It may sound simple, but this type of thinking prepares young brains for the outside world, where they need to make decisions and problem-solve autonomously. Winning!

Improved tolerance and empathy

Slowing the mind and allowing creativity in allows tolerance and empathy to flourish. Tuning into our inner self and connecting to our creativity teaches patience and attunes young brains to be more empathetic by reducing the nervous system responses. Creativity creates calm and, in turn, creates conscious little beings who turn into conscious adults. That’s the goal, right?

Boosted mood and mental agility

Have you ever been in a ‘funk’ and not known how to get out of it? When we feel like this, leaning into creativity instantly affects our mood. By engaging in tangible arts and crafts, we unknowingly connect both hemispheres of our brains, creating balance, groundedness and a nice little boost of happiness. With the boosted mood comes mental agility by teaching us that we have the innate ability to nurture our mental wellness by choosing healthy hobbies that evoke a sense of accomplishment and happiness. Yippee … we all love a bit of happiness!

Improved fine motor skills

Do you remember in prep when you learned to use scissors for the first time and you needed to engage your brain to try to cut on the dotted lines? Do you remember just how hard it was? Sadly, these skills are lost by the increased use of digital media.

Cutting, colouring and pasting can all be done within a screen now and whilst this does contribute to one’s fine motor skills, nothing quite beats the old school of physical touch. When was the last time you picked up a pencil and coloured something in? Let your inner child go wild and give it a go!

Reduced stress and overwhelm

In a fast-paced world where we digest so much information, retreating into your own private arty sanctuary is the perfect elixir for reducing stress and overwhelm. Going mindless and allowing your creative energy to take the lead is a form of meditation and will do wonders for your nervous system. So slow your roll and let your mind take that little vacay that it deserves!

Enhanced creative expression

In a beige world, it is so dang important to retain your child like magic. We are human beings, not human doings, yet we are stuck on the metaphorical hamster wheel doing, doing and more doing. This constant state of ‘doing’ kills our creative expression and quite frankly, can make us a bit sad. No one wants that, right? Keeping the joy in your life is imperative for emotional wellness and tactile arts and crafts is a wonderful avenue to explore your creativity and ignite that child-like magical spark.

A healthy boost of dopamine. 

Who doesn’t love a little dopamine boost? Of course, that question is rhetorical, as we all do … it feels incredible and is just as awesome for mental, emotional and physical wellness. Dopamine is a cheeky little chemical that acts as a chemical messenger that loves to send little love notes to your brain, making you feel all warm and fuzzy. When we embark on a little creativity, dopamine is released, creating a feeling of contentment and accomplishment which reinforces to our brains that creativity makes us happy little vegemite’s!

These are only a few of the benefits of how embracing creativity benefit our lives, and teaching our little loves that they have the power within them to contribute to their wellness is truly a gift. By activating their innate creative power in their formative years, they are equipped to handle the ebbs and flows of life, which in turn increases self-confidence, self-worth, resilience and a positive growth mindset.

With the current school curriculum heavily invested in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and Mathematics), let’s advocate for the beauty that is found in the art of creativity. Let’s help our children fall in love with being creative with tactile mediums that spark a sense of wonder, excitement and delight. It is here that the magic happens and it is right here where those everlasting core memories are made … ready to be passed on to the next generation again.

No judgement here; we totally understand that screens are a necessary part of today society, but maybe just maybe, we can pop them down and nourish our nervous systems, invest in our emotional wellness and lose ourselves in the magic of heart-driven creativity. Now that’s my kind of happy place!