The Best Art and Craft Activities for Children

Art and craft is one of the few activities that keeps a child occupied and develops something at the same time. Cutting, gluing, moulding and painting all look like play, and all of them are doing work underneath.

What Art and Craft Does for a Child

It Develops Fine Motor Control

Holding a brush, cutting along a line and rolling clay all train the small muscles in a child’s hands. That control carries straight over into handwriting, which is why craft work tends to show up in school readiness advice.

It Builds Cognitive Skill

Following a set of steps to a finished object asks a child to hold a sequence in their head. Choosing colours and judging proportions adds a layer of thinking on top of the making.

It Raises Creativity and Imagination

A blank sheet forces a child to decide what goes on it, which is a harder task than it looks. Repeated often enough, that decision becomes a habit of inventing rather than copying.

It Teaches Problem Solving

Craft goes wrong constantly, and the glue fails or the shape collapses. Working out what to do next is the part that matters more than the finished object.

It Supports Mental Wellbeing

Making something absorbing gives a child a break from whatever else is going on. Plenty of parents notice a calmer child after an hour of drawing than after an hour of anything else.

It Encourages Cooperation

Group craft sessions mean sharing materials and space, which needs negotiating. Working on something jointly also gives children an easy reason to talk to each other.

Art and Craft Studios Around Jakarta

Here are studios running art and craft sessions for children. Confirm current programmes, age ranges and fees with each one directly, since these change.

Motion Studio Asia

A studio running creative sessions with an emphasis on movement and expression. It suits a child who does not sit still easily.

Bartega Studio

Known for painting sessions run as a social activity rather than a lesson. The format works well for a group of friends or a family together.

Ganara Art

An art space running structured programmes for children alongside its wider arts work. Sessions are led rather than free-form, which suits a child who likes direction.

Kina Art Studio

A studio offering art classes for children across a range of media. Smaller groups are the usual draw here.

Tanakita Ceramics

Clay and ceramics work, which gives a child something three-dimensional to make. Working with clay is also more forgiving than paint for a first attempt.

Hadiprana Art Centre

An established art centre with programmes covering drawing and painting. Its longer courses suit a child who wants to keep going rather than try once.

Global Art Kids

A drawing and art programme built around a structured curriculum. Progress is visible over a term, which motivates some children more than one-off sessions.

Kandura Studio

A ceramics studio running sessions where children work with clay directly. Hands-on making is the whole point of the session.

Ceramica Studio

Pottery and ceramics work for children and families. Sessions are usually short enough to hold a younger child’s attention.

Gambar Bersama

Drawing sessions run as a shared activity. It is a low-cost way to test whether a child takes to art before committing to a course.

Finding a Session

The best way to know whether a child takes to art is a single session rather than a term. Most studios run one-off classes for exactly that reason. The Happy Kamper app lists art and craft classes for children with locations and current prices shown.