“Crafts and Tales” - A playground for children's creativity 

As Albert Einstein quite famously said “Creativity is intelligence, having fun”!, children have an unlimited supply of creativity in their every word and action, exploring their surroundings, they are always curious, and this curiosity leads to exploration, which helps enhance their creativity alleviating their attitudes of expression. 

Sometimes with the pressures of the school structure, its syllabus, assessments and targets to be met, this creativity is curtailed, and they lose the freedom to indulge in active imagination and productive fun. Therefore I was delighted to come across this dynamic duo of Cheryl Abeyewardene and Shihara Iyne, who run workshops on helping children get in tuned with their unexplored creativity. Aptly called “Crafts & Tales” Cheryl and Shihara strongly believe in the importance of reading and nurturing creativity in young children. As the “Crafts & Tales” motto states, “bringing stories to life”, children are encouraged to engage in the joys of reading and learning through exciting activities that help develop a range of skills week after week in a carefree and nurturing environment. 

With a combined total of over 20 years in education both in Sri Lanka and the UK, Cheryl and Shihara hold qualifications in Education, Psychology, Counseling and Psychotherapy, respectively. Since they are both passionate about Early Years Education, they felt the need to initiate these workshops which they found that within the education system in Sri Lanka was lacking. Reading was regarded as more of a chore or a level to be acquired rather than something children would like to do and experience the abundance of it. 

In a typical workshop children are enthralled and entertained by a story, thoughtfully chosen for its use of language, creativity and charm. They are encouraged to ask and answer questions, analyze characters, join in with repetitive phrases, notice rhyming patterns, take part in simple role play and play fun language games. They also try and incorporate a 'wow' moment in every story which is what brings the story to life. For example they do this by bringing in real fish during 'Rainbow Fish' or having a tea party for 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea'. Story time is followed by a crafting session, where children engage in fun arts and craft activities that have been inspired by the story of the day. They regroup at the end of the session for a recap on the learning for the day, then finish off with have circle time with songs and rhymes. 

In this digital era, creativity and the love for the natural things in life and the simple pleasures are slowly being forgotten. Children are being forced to become like robots going from school to tuition classes. They are not made to think, imagine and solve problems anymore. Sadly children are not encouraged to think outside the box or given enough opportunities to make their own choices which is an important skill in life. Children need the time and space to be children and at Crafts & Tales, they focus on allowing children to learn whilst having fun. 

Currently held at St Anthony's Church in Colombo 3 on Thursday from 3pm to 4pm, the workshops are for ages 3 to 7. All the stories are carefully chosen to suit this age group. They also have differentiated activities that challenge the older children and age appropriate activities for the younger group. These workshops are to be enjoyed by all children, and the Crafts & Tales team are willing to work with teaching assistants, if they have to cater to children with special needs. 

As a parent with a young child of my own I applaud the fact that Cheryl and Shihara are taking the initiative to incorporate these workshops and make them options for our children to enjoy. They are indeed abundantly positive in helping your child acquire that sense of confidence and personal satisfaction. We wish them success in all their creative endeavors. For more information about “Crafts and Tales” please log on to their website www.craftsandtales.wix.com/craftsandtales or find them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/craftsandtales). 

Comment from parent 

Inoka Wickramasinghe 

Cheryl and Shihara run a very professional, organized craft & story group. My son looks forward to going and comes back with very interesting pieces of work. He says they are the kindest teachers in the world, which is always a bonus. 

By Mayuri Jayasinghe