MakerMom is J.L., a stay-at-home mom of two, historian, and freelance writer.

MakerMom came into being as a result of my frustration with trying to find fun, accessible activities for my preschool-aged son. Most arts and crafts kits sold in stores are geared towards school-age children, and
it seems that more and more emphasis is placed on a “mess-free” philosophy. I believe that messy play is an important part of any child’s development, and that with the right preparation it can be fun and rewarding for child and parent alike.

Furthermore, as the mother of a three year old with autism, sensory play became an important component of my son’s daily therapy at home. Children with autism spectrum disorders often have sensory problems, and just coming into contact with such substances as runny fingerpaints, squishy modeling clay, and gritty sand can be challenging. As a result, many of my activities are designed to encourage experimenting with different textures and sensations.

Finally, all my activities are designed to be completed with a minimum of hand-over-hand assistance. You won’t find line drawings to color here, and sometimes our spiders have more eyes than legs. But allowing your child to create something completely unfiltered and unique, regardless of its aesthetic outcome, is too often a lost art in modern preschools that emphasize product over process.

Since my son was completely nonverbal when I began working with him at two and a half, these projects provided him with an important avenue of communication and expression that allowed me to appreciate his beautiful mind for all its creative and unexpected turns. Additionally, since he has trouble processing spoken language, I had to design projects that did not rely on his ability to follow directions. I solved this problem by making a sample project, then letting him decide whether he would follow the model or not. Most often, he would begin by following my lead, but the project would evolve into something far cooler than I could have imagined.

Now that my son is speaking in single words and short phrases, he is able to request specific items to help him create his next masterpiece. If you have a child with ASD, you will find that it is easy to integrate Greenspan’s Floortime principles with these projects.

If you have a general question, comment, or project to share, please leave a comment on this page or send me an email at makermom at gmail dot com.