You might think that people are born with their talents. You either have it, or you don’t. However, creativity is just as much of a honed skill as it is a natural-born ability. It’s entirely possible for parents to encourage their children to develop their creative side.
Creativity can benefit your life in all sorts of ways beyond just self-expression. It helps you improve problem-solving skills, adaptability, and even emotional development.
While a child’s formal education is essential for their future, so is their creativity. Children need to use their imaginations and express themselves. Here are some of the best ways to encourage creativity in your child’s life.
Find an Activity They Enjoy
Sometimes children need a guiding hand to lead them to where they want to go. Rather than forcing them into a creative outlet of your choice, let them try a few out. You may want to consider suggesting taking piano lessons, joining an art club, or even auditioning for a school play!
Kids need to try out many different things to determine what works best for them. If they find something that they click with, help them stay committed. While the idea is encouraging imaginative unstructured creativity, they may need a little structure to improve.
Make Your Home a Creative Atmosphere
A lot of parents try to keep the messes in their homes to a minimum, understandably!. As a result, they encourage their kids to keep all of their toys and art supplies in their room out of sight. However, you may be hindering their creativity in an attempt to minimize messes.
Encourage your kids to believe that your home is a creative playground. Give them plenty of opportunities to innovate and create. This may require some work on your part, however. Rather than associating creativity with a mess, you should associate it with nurturing their growth.
Try to join them in creativity sometimes. There’s nothing like a little artistic fun for a bonding session!
Show Pride In Their Creations
Kids are sensitive to how you react to their creations. Rather than sticking a painting of theirs in a drawer, display it proudly in a frame! Encourage your kids to make more and more things for your house.
The more encouraged they feel about what they’re making, the more inspired they’ll be to continue creating.
Don’t Judge
Some parents might think they’re helping their children if they tell them their project could use some work. Maybe they colored outside of the lines, or their singing is a little off-key.
However, in reality, your “constructive” criticism could be capable of shutting down their creativity altogether. Allow them to create whatever they want without stepping in with judgment. The idea is self-expression, not a masterpiece.
Originally posted on March 14, 2019 @ 7:06 am