Peace brings a sense of harmony and tranquility into the lives of those who embrace it. Teach young children the concept of peace through crafts and activities that engage their hearts and minds alike. Incorporate symbols of peace into crafts and activities to help your child enter into a peaceful state of mind and promote peace in their creative works.
The Peace Sign
The peace sign is recognized worldwide as representing harmony, love, freedom and happiness. It is easy for children to draw, with its simple circle and lines. Provide bold, colorful markers and encourage children to draw peace signs on a white magnet sheet. Cut the peace signs out and hang them on the refrigerator or give them as gifts. Or, sculpt the peace sign for a three-dimensional craft. Take some modeling clay and discuss instances of peace with your child as you both bend and shape the clay into peace signs. Hang the dried products as ornaments.
Doves have symbolized peace across different cultures throughout the ages. Foster a peaceful environment for your child by decorating her room with homemade dove crafts. Create dove garlands by threading long pieces of yarn through paper dove cutouts, or use a template to cut doves out of coffee filters for a frilled, three-dimensional effect. To make a single dove, cut wings, a body and a head from a paper plate, using a template for the pieces. Help your child put the pieces together with fasteners or glue sticks, and decorate with markers, ribbon, glitter or other art embellishments. Promote peace throughout your home by hanging your child’s homemade doves above doorways.
The rainbow has been a symbol of piece since the days of ancient Greece, and is an iconic childhood image. Fill a bowl with fruit-flavored cereal or candy. Instruct your child to glue the round pieces -- grouped by color -- in rainbow arches onto a piece of stock paper or cardboard for a sweet and simple peace craft. Trace your child’s hand onto pieces of construction paper, cut the hands out and fasten or thread them together for a rainbow garland with a personalized touch.
Get older kids to spread and promote messages of peace with poster campaigns. Encourage kids to combine the symbols of peace with inspirational messages in posters made with poster board and poster paints. Get permission from your local library, supermarket or other public place to hang the posters and promote your child’s message of peace.
- Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images