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Threading beads can help to strengthen the small muscles in learners hands especially in children’s as they grasp different sized beads. They will use various hand movements, depending on the size of the bead. For example, smaller beads will be picked up with a pincer grip (thumb and finger) while larger beads will use a clenched hand action. Using a bead tray to store the beads provides even more opportunity to improve fine motor skills. Reaching for a bead, picking up a bead, and then rotating the bead to thread it all use different hand movements. The benefit of developing fine motor skills through threading beads is that it uses similar hand movements to gripping a large pencil.

Children will get used to this action early, helping them to hold a pencil when they start colouring or writing during school.

Visual Discrimination, Scanning, Visual Memory:

The learner must be able to remember the beading pattern to determine the bead they want to use. Once they know what bead they want, visual discrimination assists them in selecting the bead that fits their mental image of the desired bead. Finally, the learner must scan across many different beads before finding the desired bead.

Visual Motor Skills:

Eye-Hand coordination: Threading beads onto a string involves bilateral coordination of the learner’s hands, and requires their eyes and hands to work together.

Planning:

What style of necklace does the learner want to make? What pattern will they choose? Where are all the materials needed to complete this beading activity? By answering these questions, the learner develops his/her planning and problem-solving skills helping them become more organized in day-to-day life

Math Skills:

How long will my necklace, bracelet, or keychain need to be? How many beads do I need to complete this project? How can I create and maintain this beading pattern? Encouraging individuals to think through these functional math problems is a motivating way to improve academic skills in this area and maintain brain function for older individuals.

Increase concentration:

Threading beads helps to increase concentration and dedication as you have to choose and sort beads, arrange them into patterns, and create the project.

Inspire creativity:

Statistics show that children spend around two-thirds of their time in imaginative play. Threading beads can stimulate creativity as part of this play. A wide choice of bead colours, sizes, and styles provides the ultimate sensory experience and allows learners the freedom to choose their patterns and designs to make their creations.

Jewellery making in groups promote sharing and cooperation, as learners choose beads and complete their projects in a group setting.

Jewellery making can encourage friendship building and support individuals in learning how to share and consider other people by sharing creative ideas and supporting each other. For example, an individual with higher ability may hold the string for another learner, so they can focus on threading the bead. This encourages teamwork. The individual will also be excited to share their creations. By delivering positive feedback and reassurance, the benefits of sharing can be reinforced, as well as letting them know it is okay to ask for help if they are struggling.

Jewellery making links with many subjects within the school setting and can be a great way for children to learn new skills in an engaging and fun way!

PHSE - develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, teamworking and critical thinking in the context of learning grouped into three core themes: health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world.

Art and Design - equipping students with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.

Maths - develops basic number skills, patterns and shapes, problem solving, stimulates curiosity, fosters creativity and equips children with the skills they need in life beyond school.

Design and Technology - design products, using a range of tools and equipment, select from and use a wide range of materials and components.

OTHER CURRICULUM OR SUBJECT CRITERIA MAY ALSO BE COVERED.

There is no shortage of scientific studies that highlight the importance of the arts in education. Champions of Change: the Impact of the Arts on Learning (Fiske, 1999) was a study that focused on art and featured a number of different scientific teams looking at various aspects of the impact of art for children in education.

• Higher student attendance and lower dropout rates.
• Fewer fights, greater understanding of diversity, and greater peer support.
• The arts provide challenges to students of all levels—from beginner to expert.
• Students learn to become engaged and self-educating. Instead of just regurgitating facts, they actively seek new information.
• 21% of students of low socioeconomic status who had studied music scored higher in math versus just 11% of those who had not. By senior year, these figures grew to 33% and 16%.

There are, of course, many other benefits to arts education—far too many to list here!