Let’s Keep Kids Creative

Kids are naturally curious and creative. One of the most important tasks for parents and teachers is to nurture their blossoming creativity.

The third full week in September has been deemed National Keep Kids Creative Week. It was formed to get kids’ creative juices flowing for not just a week but throughout the entire year.

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein

One of the best ways to foster your child’s creativity is to provide resources such as art supplies and unstructured playtime. Set aside special clothing and safe areas at home where they can finger paint, mold clay, and create colorful jewelry to their hearts’ content without worrying about making a mess.

All it takes is imagination
Provide a few simple tools, such as pencils, paint, and paper, and let your kids explore. Let them collect rocks from the yard to paint. Offer praise to bolster their self-esteem and withhold judgment as it tends to dampen budding creativity. Bake cookies together; your kids can decorate and adjust the recipes, learning about substitutions. Give them cookbooks geared especially for children. Make bracelets or ornaments together. Use craft kits to spur their imagination and talent. Register them in art, music, or acting classes.

Storytelling remains one of the best sources of inspiration for young children. Read to your kids or make up your own tales. Let them create new plot twists. Supply colored pencils, watercolor paints, and paper so they can write and illustrate stories of their own. Create mixed-media collages and colorful papier-mâché masks with paper and paste made from flour and water. Learn new design and editing software together on the computer and film fun videos to share with family and friends. It doesn’t matter what form kids’ creativity takes, only that it continues to take shape.