EIPIC teacher Gerry Da shares in this article how a simple activity like using handprints to create art can have immensely positive effects on children.

Hand-printing has always been an activity that is both fun and educational for children. Children will pick up a myriad of skills from this simple activity such as learning about colours, asking for help, requesting for items as well as interacting in small groups.

Children want to feel involved and like getting messy and seeing their hand prints on paper. This easy activity brings joy and learning to the children as they decorate every paper with their unique hand prints and participate in the cleaning up process too.

To look at how such a simple activity can bring so much joy to children, we need look no further than six-year-old Tan Jin Yuan (pictured in a purple t-shirt above) who is enrolled in the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) at SPD@Jurong.

Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jin Yuan enjoyed the experiential learning of creating a Christmas card using hand-printing while preparing for the recent SPD Art Competition in May. The SPD-wide art competition was organised in order that select art pieces created by the clients could be adapted into designs for the year-end greeting cards project.

Using colours of the rainbow to draw a Christmas tree, the activity helped Jin Yuan to stay seated at one place for a longer period and improved his independence. He also paid attention to the teacher while he was giving a demonstration.

When Jin Yuan completed his hand-printed Christmas tree, the satisfaction of completing the activity was all over his face.

“I am very happy to see my son’s work and to know that it will be used as one of the Christmas card designs. We are looking forward to seeing his artwork soon on SPD’s Christmas card,”

said Madam Aye Aye Myint, Jin Yuan’s mother.

Truly, every child is unique and talented in his own way. Given the right platform and opportunity, each child is an artist with a masterpiece waiting to be unveiled