It’s extremely important to inspire creativity in your kids because this skill will help them learn better, develop certain social skills that they will need later in their life and boost their self-confidence. One of the best ways to help your children grow happy and healthy is by encouraging them to think in a creative manner that will allow them to see all the different sides of a story. Creativity is more than just arts and crafts; it’s a process of thought that will help your kids think in a more flexible way. You, as a parent, can help your child reach their creative potential by taking a few actions that will inspire and encourage their creative genius. Here are a few very useful tips on how to inspire creativity in your kids:
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Create a Magical Dress-up Box
One of the most important things you can do to inspire creativity in your kids is to create a magical dress-up box that should contain different hats, costumes, all kinds of capes, shoes (as funny as possible), wands, armor or whatever you think your child will enjoy and that will enhance their creativity. Just bring that magical box every time you are playing with your little one and let them choose what they want to do.
Practice What You Preach
If you are trying to help your kids enhance their creativity, then you should practice what you preach. Neal Bascomb, the author of “The New Cool” notices that, “It's incredibly inspiring for kids to work with their parents, instead of simply taking directions from them.” So, the next time your child needs a little help with one of their projects, jump in and try to figure things out together instead of just telling them what to do.
Expect More from Your Kids
You should always encourage your kids and you should always be supportive, even if their work doesn’t rise to your expectations. It’s important for them to assimilate the fact that if they work hard enough and if they believe in themselves, they will be able to do whatever they want. Help them formulate their own ideas, give them the tools they need and be their biggest supporter!
Reward Them
Acknowledge their hard work and reward them every time they successfully reach one of their goals. Just praise them for a job well done and encourage them to go further to see what they could discover next. Lynn Louise Wonders, psychotherapist and director of services at Marietta Counseling for Children & Adults (MCCA) in Marietta, Georgia, says that, “When a child realizes for himself that he has the ability, potential and know-how to figure it out, his motivation becomes a much deeper pool to draw from than when he relies on external sources to boost him.”
“when I Grow up” Drawings
Encourage your little ones to make drawing where they imagine themselves as adults in their job of choice. They could make drawings or you could suggest that they do a little collage, or even mix these two things together. They could add a 3-D fabric to their drawing (for example, tulle for a ballerina or a beautiful dress for a model). Just let them put their creativity to work and keep all these wonderful drawings. You could show these to them when they’ll be older and I’m sure that you’ll have a blast remembering all those fun times.
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Let Your Kid Lead the Way
From time to time try to let your kid lead the way when you two are playing together. Kids should follow their direction, they should be able to learn how to make their own decisions when they grow up, so why not start early and let them decide what they want to do every now and then? For example, when you’re going for a walk in the park, let them lead the way or let them choose the game they want to play. Have a little trust in their instincts, because by allowing them to lead every now and then, you’ll enhance their self-confidence, as well as their creative thinking.
Give Them Free Time
It’s extremely important that from time to time, you allow your kid to relax by taking a little break. Just give your child some unstructured time; you could spend a few hours at home without any activities scheduled, so your child can just play and enjoy themselves. Everyone deserves a little break to recharge their batteries and your kid needs it too.
Help Your Kids Pursue Their Passions
You should always help your kids pursue their passions if you want to help them be more creative. Just notice what their interests are and make those activities available for them. For example, if they like dancing, sign them up for some dance lessons, if they like to paint, buy them all the things they need to pursue this passion, if they are passionate about dinosaurs, animals or plants, buy them different books on those topics or watch together some documentaries that will provide them more details about those things they are interested in.
Expand Your Child’s Comfort Zone
Expand your kid's comfort zone by teaching them about different cultures around the globe. Show them how other people live, how they work and how they do things. Expand their minds and open their eyes. You could also take your kids to different parts of the city or the country you live in and you could simply let them observe other cultures. Do research together and feed their curiosity, because this is one of the best ways to inspire creativity in your kids.
There are a lot of things you can do to support your child’s creativity. I just mentioned a few in this little article but I’m sure there are many more I haven’t talked about. Can you give me a hand and tell me what other things a parent can do to inspire creativity in their kids? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
Sources: psychcentral.com, womansday.com, educationaltoysplanet.com, childcare.about.com
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