At Taito Crafts and Design Schools, which provide basic education in the arts, children and young people learn the stages of various crafts from design to implementation. The starting point for the studies are the student’s personal experience, working with their hands, making products and self-expression.
The Crafts and Design Schools provide an excellent starting point for extensive crafts skills and teach students about various techniques and materials. The students will benefit from the everyday skills they learn throughout their lives.

Taito Crafts and Design Schools – learning, skills and the joy

Looking for a place where you can express yourself and unleash your creativity? Want to learn new skills and develop your own hobby? Are you looking for a relaxed atmosphere with like-minded enthusiasts and the shared joy of working with multiple craft techniques? Welcome to Taito Crafts and Design Schools – we have it all!

What are Taito Crafts and Design Schools?

Taito Crafts and Design Schools provide basic arts and crafts education for children, young people and adults. Basic arts education is an established and internationally unique form of education and hobby in Finland. It is suitable for anyone who is interested in making things with their hands, design and learning new things.

What and how to learn?

Taito Crafts and Design Schools teaches the stages of crafting from design to implementation. The starting point for learning is the student’s personal experience, the desire to express themselves and the act of making with their hands. The hobby teaches perseverance, problem-solving skills and creativity.

“In craft school, you can use your imagination.”

Vilma 7 years.

In the groups, you will learn to make handicrafts in a motivating atmosphere with like-minded friends and
and professional teachers. Group sizes are small, allowing time to meet and learn together. In addition to basic groups, craft schools offer groups focusing on different techniques, such as Nikkarit-groups, which focus more on woodwork, metalwork and electronics.

Taito-association run 13 Craft Schools or Taito Crafts and Design Schools in Finland. There are nearly 50 teaching locations. No previous skills are required to join. People can start their interest in basic art education as schoolchildren and those younger can take part in early years courses. Basic art education is primarily aimed at children and young people, but there are also groups for adults in many schools. Teachers are trained professionals in the field and the teaching is based on the national curriculum for basic arts and crafts education.

At craft school you can express yourself without fear of what others think.”

Risto 15 years.

Links below lead to local Taito-associations pages (only in Finnish/Swedish). Please use for example Google Translater to explore the pages.

What is basic arts education?

Basic art education is art education provided in local art schools during free time. It is goal-oriented, linked to a national curriculum and delivered by trained professionals. There are nine arts to choose from: crafts, visual arts, architecture, media arts, music, theatre arts, circus, dance and spoken arts. Teaching is widely available in Finland and there is a low entry threshold to become a student. Basic arts education is available in 267 municipalities and has over 128 000 pupils.

“Making things with your hands has a big impact on your wellbeing and mood. Craft school is the highlight of my week ”

Teija 38 years old

Basic arts education is part of the Finnish education system and is regulated by the Basic Arts Education Act and Decree. The qualifications of principals and teachers in basic arts education are regulated by a decree on the qualification requirements for educational personnel.

Basic art education is provided by local art schools and colleges. Some community colleges also offer basic arts education.

Basic arts education can be provided by private registered associations, municipalities, joint municipal authorities or state educational institutions. A municipality can organise basic arts education by its own decision or by contracting a public or private provider. Other bodies need a licence from the Ministry of Education and Culture to provide education. With a licence from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the organiser receives funding from the state, i.e. a state contribution, according to the number of hours of teaching. Municipalities that provide basic arts education receive state funding for basic municipal services according to the number of inhabitants. Municipalities are the main providers of funding and organisation of basic arts education. Municipalities and the state provide roughly equal funding for basic arts education.