Joanna Young - Preschool Holiday Crafts Writer

Building happy, healthy families involves many aspects, quality time being one of the most important. One of the ways my children and I spend quality time together is through crafts. Crafting together teaches preschoolers the values of cooperation, sharing, pride in accomplishment, and helps build healthy self-esteem. When a child's sibling (especially an older one) tells her, "Ooh, that's pretty!"...well, it's just priceless.

By crafting with your child, you'll be creating memories that'll last a lifetime. One of my fondest memories was Christmas 1978. My mother volunteered to make a paper nativity scene for our church. Paper scenery doesn't sound very exciting, but if anyone could pull it off, it was Mom. She cut out the figures from ordinary poster board, grabbed her daughters and some magic markers, and together we created the most beautiful paper nativity scene ever! From my mother I learned to create with my hands, a gift I'll always appreciate and hope to hand down to my own children.

A love for crafting is only one of the blessings I inherited from my mother. A passion for writing, reading, and anything involving words is another. Writing has always been my favorite pastime, from "Miss Lollipop", a story I wrote in the first grade, to currently published articles on the web and in print. I've been a regular contributor to a leading outsourcing magazine and have worked with a Christian publication and a non-profit organization benefiting the homeless.

My greatest experience in the writing field had nothing to do with actual writing, however. Through an Internet contact, I began working with an editor who quickly became my good friend. Although we've never met in person, she and I have worked extensively together, writing, editing, and doing telephone interviews with executives around the country. About six months into the relationship, she told me she'd been diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer related to the blood. Her faith and persistence were examples of strength in the face of adversity.

A few months later, my son was diagnosed with lymphoma. A massive tumor was growing in his chest, wrapping itself around a heart artery, and creating all kinds of havoc. After a harrowing stay in pediatric ICU, radiation, and months of in/outpatient chemotherapy, I'm extremely pleased to announce that my son's cancer is 100% gone! Because we found it early, we were able to prevent it from spreading. I can only credit these amazing circumstances to God, and am continually thankful for the experiences He's given me.

Meanwhile, I continue doing what I love: writing, crafting, and writing about crafting. I hope to share with you and your children some wonderful preschool holiday craft ideas, so that you can create memories to last their lifetime!