FAMILY

Teaching emotions to young kids with a simple craft project

Posting on Facebook a photo of a simple craft project imagined by our son led to our discover of teru teru bozu. Teru teru bozu is a traditional Japanese dolls made of tissue paper or cloth hung in front of the window to prevent rain. These ghost-like dolls became popular in the Edo era. Children of that era hang them the day before important events or festivities.

ghost doll

The ghost dolls that we made last night took us seconds. We drew the most basic faces. Still, they showed different facial expressions. I didn’t notice the lesson opportunities until I saw the exquisite teru teru bozu dolls from this Etsy shop. Her dolls depicted emotions so well that it hit me.

Why not made a collection of paper dolls or ghosts to develop his drawing skills and teach our son how to communicate common emotions? I’ll give it a try. Did you try something like this with your children?