Going through their parents’ divorce is difficult for children. While older children might be able to relay their feelings and needs, younger children may have difficulties. The parents will have to find ways to help those younger children to cope with the divorce.
Crafting is one option that many parents don’t think about. Some ideas include molding, painting, drawing and putting things together. You can tell a lot about how your child is feeling by what they do when you have time for crafting. Think about what they focus on with those activities.
Watch for the subtle clues
While it might be tempting to choose very specific projects, it is typically best to give the child the option of choosing what they want to do. Pay attention to things like what facial expressions subjects in painting or drawings have, theme they choose for crafting projects or colors they use.
Bond with your child
Children sometimes feel uncertain when their parents are going through a divorce. Using the arts and crafts time as a bonding experience can help them to feel reassured despite the major life changes.
Children need to have stability so they can thrive. Going through their parents’ divorce shakes that stability, so it’s up to the parents to provide it again as quickly as possible. Working out the terms of the parenting time schedule and parenting plan can help to make this happen. This might be challenging, but working to get it done will benefit everyone. Don’t worry too much about what the child will need years in the future because you can always modify the plan if the child’s needs change.