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Inside the Classroom: Where Motivation Meets Creativity

A group of children sitting around a table making crafts.

Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.

-W. Clement Stone

It would be easy to see an art studio as only a fun place to spend time, (and it is fun) but it’s so much more! We’ve designed our afterschool enrichment classes, camps and parties to enable kids to unleash artistic talent (whether it comes naturally or not), gain confidence and connect with others in a structured yet calming environment. Our instructors are college-educated with advanced degrees in the arts and work year-round at Dragonfly Designs. I promise you, they are INVESTED in every child they meet!

Recently, a mom reached out to us about her 7-year-old daughter who takes our Textiles & Jewelry class. She told us her child struggles with a fear of failure and wanted to stop attending the class after only one visit. 

I suppose we could’ve simply shrugged our shoulders and hope she’d give it another try, but at Dragonfly Designs it was ‘all hands on deck’ after we received this email! I told the mom we would coordinate with Ágnes, our studio manager, and Sora, the team lead, to involve her daughter in selecting a project for the class. Children who are nervous in new situations become more self-assured when they are a part of the process. We were happy to hear her daughter is now loving the class and feels proud about what she is making! We had our wonderful Stanford-educated mentor and educator, Jing Xu address this topic during our weekly staff meeting, so it could be a learning experience for all of us. We always strive to provide the best possible learning environment for all of our students.  

Here are some helpful strategies we utilize at Dragonfly Designs that can be used in your own home:

Think V.A.R.K.

Every child absorbs information differently. What type of learner is your child?

– Visual – likes graphic elements over words. Images, charts, and graphs are helpful tools to help them process information.

Auditory – learns better with verbal instructions and likes to talk things out

– Read/Write – prefers written instructions and processes information by writing it down

– Kinesthetic – a “hands-on” learner; they understand by doing. 

 Once you know how your child learns, it’s so much easier to communicate!

Empower!

Allow your child to make some decisions. They are more likely to be engaged and excited about an activity when they have control over part of the process. For instance, if they are crafting, they can pick the color or materials. Or, decide what they will do with the finished product (give it as a gift, display in their room, etc.). It’s so important that children feel capable and know you believe they can achieve their goals! However, real encouragement is better than empty praise. Be a cheerleader for their process, not just the end result. Let them know it’s okay not to succeed the first (or even second or third) time; it’s about the effort

We are here to partner with you to inspire motivation, instill self-reliance and provide your child an atmosphere that sparks imagination! Please don’t hesitate to contact us if your son or daughter needs extra support in overcoming learning challenges.

 

Let’s Connect! Tell us about your own experience with fear of failure, when a teacher helped you or how you assisted someone else in overcoming their own fears. 

 

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