Inspire Creativity in Your Children

Your kid comes rushing home from school, happy and grinning as they show you their latest art project. After looking at the big smudge of indeterminate color that they claim resembles your family, you give a small nod and a tight smile as you pin it on the fridge. Unless your face turned into a runny blotch of mud when you weren’t looking, this little piece of art is terrible. Alright, so your kid won’t be the next Picasso. Guess it’s time to invest in some soccer classes, they may yet be an athlete. But hold your horses, did you think that creativity comes purely from natural born talent? Hardly. Imagination is something that can be cultivated and grown, and if you want to help your child become more creative then here are a few tips to point you in the right direction. 

Expand your own horizons

Creativity is a very broad term, but a lot of people like to limit it only to arts and crafts. If your kid can’t draw, or dance or mix colors, clearly they are doomed to a boring office job, or maybe to become an engineer if you’re lucky. However, even professions such as engineer, scientist, mathematician, and computer programmer require a great deal of imagination. Listen to your kid as they talk about their interests and let them play around and develop the skills that they want to. You’ll be amazed at what they can create if given the freedom.

Encourage curiosity

Why is the sky blue? Why is the water wet? Why must I make my bed if I’m just going to mess it up again in the evening? Endless questions from our children can be nothing short of exhausting, but if we always shut them down then they’ll get the hint and stop asking. But this can easily transfer to other areas of life, and they’ll stop questioning the world around them. More than anything else, this is harmful and makes for a dull child that doesn’t take interest in things unless they have to. So let them ask questions, and let them explore the world. Encourage curiosity and discussion, teach them to take nothing at face value and your kid will become not only more imaginative, but sharp as well. You can even get them one of those trusted prepaid cards for kids and see what they will spend it on, give them some interesting options but make sure that the final decision is their. 

Get them to love books

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one.” A famous quote from one of George R. R. Martin’s novels perfectly depicts the relationship between books and imagination. Open the world of reading to your child and let them see different cultures, different people, and various locations both real and magical. You can start early on with picture books and children’s novels, and then build a small library in their room. In books lies knowledge and to have a child who loves to read, is to have someone who will grow up to be a kind, wise, creative person. 

Make a creativity corner

Give your child tools, and they’ll use them. Make a small corner in their room and dedicate it to be their creative paradise. You can fill it with all sorts of things such as colorful paper, scissors for kids, big wooden rulers, quality permanent markers, Elmer’s glue, stickers, crayons. Anything they can use to create. Or, you could get a toy microscope for your future biologist, or even a magic tricks set. Instead of shoving a tablet in their hands, give them the opportunity to make something on their own, using only their imagination.

Let them make mistakes

That stick figure drawing or a cat that looks more like a monster from your nightmares? It’s only the first step, and they have to start somewhere. Even if your kid wasn’t born with talent, you have to realise that success isn’t much about natural born abilities. It’s about hard work, and the ability to learn from your mistakes. This means that when your child comes to you with something, you should give them constructive criticism instead of praising it to heavens every single time. Kids are sharp and they’ll be onto you soon, so be honest and teach them that making mistakes can be very positive. 

Give your child love, support, and above all, encourage them to try even after they fail. There is no better way to teach creativity than that.