Guest Blogger, Annabelle Short
Fostering creativity in your child is very important to their future. While they are young, their minds are very impressionable and susceptible to the things going on around them. With many bad influences surrounding them, it is important to foster good and creative ideas that will prepare them to be successful in the future.
While they might not grow up to be the next Vincent van Gogh, creativity is still beneficial. It exposes their mind to a different way of thinking and opens new pathways, allowing them to really discover their interests and to grow and learn new things.
Here are some great tips for improving your child’s creativity:
- Discuss creativity with your child. Your child will have an easier time letting themselves be creative, if they know exactly what it is that you are trying to get them to do. Let them know that it is fun to draw, paint and try new things. You are fostering creativity by making them aware of it.
- Design a place for them to be creative. By giving them the atmosphere to be creative, they are more likely to take advantage of it. Set up an arts and crafts station. Put out pens, pencils, notebooks and stickers. A great way to really interest your child in the area is by adding personalized stickers! You can order stickers that are specific to things that your child is interested in. This will be sure to catch their attention and make them feel special. You could do something as simple as put their name on them, to something more special that they enjoy. They can use these stickers in their next creative project!
- Avoid micromanaging. Let them be. Leave your child alone to be creative. While it is important to still keep an eye on them, don’t hover. They cannot be creative if you are standing right over them guiding them in what to do. Allow them the time and the space to develop and foster their own ideas.
- Avoid only coloring books. Instead or pre-printed designs and books, try just giving them some white paper. This gives them a blank canvas to create something totally their own. This will avoid them just following the rules and allow them to think of something totally outside of the box.
- Let them get messy. This might be the hardest part, but it goes right along with avoid micromanaging. Sometimes, they need to get messy in order to truly foster their creative ideas. Obviously, don’t just ignore it totally and let them get unruly or destroy the house, but sometimes a little paint on their hands and in their hair, is okay. They are learning.
- Be creative yourself. Kids do learn by watching. If they see that you are being creative and trying new things, they will often want to do so themselves. This is also a great opportunity for you to encourage it. You could even say something as simple as, “See, mommy is being creative and making a new project. Why don’t you try?” This also goes hand-in-hand with discussing creativity, but this is the leading by example part of that.