How Crafts Can Help Foster Children Feel Part of the Family

Fostering is a rewarding experience that can truly change lives. There are over 65,000 children in the UK who live in foster care. However, 63% of these children are in the care system as a result of abuse or neglect, which makes fostering a demanding task. Being a foster parent is one of the most important roles that you’ll ever take on, so it’s helpful to understand how you can support children as they grow. One of the best ways to do this is through arts and crafts – in this article, we’ll be
discussing just how useful they can be to help foster children feel part of your family.

They Inspire Creativity
There are a huge number of ways that crafts help children to develop, including inspiring the creativity that they might not have had a chance to express before. By allowing your foster children to tap into their creative side, you’ll help to boost their communication skills, self-esteem and critical thinking. By learning that the home is a safe space for creativity, they’ll immediately feel like part of the family, which is one of the key drivers behind healing from trauma and neglect.

They Encourage Family Bonding Time
From going to the craft store to stock up on supplies, to spending hours creating a masterpiece together, arts and crafts is a great way to encourage family bonding between yourself and your foster child. Whether they are looking for a painting kit or other craft supplies. It’s been proven that dedicated bonding time nurtures human trust and carries through the generations, so by prioritising family bonding time at this stage in your child’s development, you’ll be setting them up for success for the rest of their life. When they feel like part of the family, they’ll be more enthusiastic about getting involved in other activities, too, which shows how important craft is as a catalyst for future growth.

They Provide a Sense of Achievement
One of the most rewarding parts of fostering children is watching them grow and flourish into happy, confident teenagers and young adults. Crafts are great confidence builders, as children can see first-hand the progress of their work, and the impact that they can have on their own surroundings. When you become a foster parent, one of the biggest things you should prioritise is helping your child see the potential that they have to achieve great things. Finding an agency that supports you in this is crucial, and there are some fantastic options in the UK like orangegrovefostercare.co.uk, who will be with you every step of the way.

The decision to foster a child isn’t one that should be taken lightly, but with time and dedication, you can truly change the lives of the young people around you. By encouraging arts and crafts as early on as you can, you can help your foster children thrive in a positive environment. Using art to inspire creativity, encourage family bonding time and provide a real sense of achievement is the best way to do this, and having an experienced, positive agency behind you will ensure that the work you do as a foster parent is transformational for young lives.