Even though most children have powerful imaginations, that doesn’t mean that they are all naturally creative. In fact, creativity seems to be more of a skill than something we are born with, and it’s your job as a parent to help your kids develop their own creativity.
Because it plays a huge role in our lives, being creative is a vital component of good health, happiness and a core skill you need to practice with your little ones. But creativity isn’t only limited to artistic expression. It’s also essential for learning educational topics and even building healthy social and emotional intelligence.
Creative people tend to go with the flow, have better problem-solving skills and are better equipped to deal with life changes.
With the endless stream of toys and props, children no longer need to pretend that a stick is a magical wand. All they need to do is open their closet and they can be just about anyone they want. And while it’s perfectly okay for kids to pretend to be their favorite character, how do you boost your child’s creativity naturally?
Below are a few ideas on fostering creativity in your kids:
Provide them the resources they need for creative expression. Time is the key here. Your kids need a lot of time for imaginative play, which is unstructured.
Space is another vital resource when channeling creativity. Unless you don’t mind creative messes from stem to stern, you need to designate a specific area where kids can make a beautiful mess, like a spare room for playing dress-up, painting in the garage or a corner in your living room for building with blocks.
The next time your child’s birthday rolls around, as for friends and family to give art supplies, building materials and even supplies to design a polo with OnTheGo. Put these supplies in a bin, which is easy for your children to manage.
You can also get your kids’ input. For example, you brainstorm ideas and encourage your kids to come up with things they would like to try. Try not to point out ideas that aren’t realistic. Also, let them decide which ideas are best. The main focus of boosting creativity should be on the process: generation versus evaluation of new ideas.
We all make mistakes. It’s just a fact of life. To foster creativity, you should also encourage them to fail. That’s right, fail. Kids who are afraid of failing often curb their own creative juices. Share the mistakes you’ve made, so they understand that it’s okay to not to be perfect. Being able to be laugh at yourself when you mess up is a happiness habit.
Finally, celebrate their creativity. Hang artwork on the walls and display other forms of creative expression throughout your home. Allowing your children to develop their own creativity also allows them to create their own inner peace and contentment. And that’s what being a parent is all about.
