How To Foster Creativity In Your Child

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Creativity is one skill we wish for in our children. It’s not rare to see a parent staring wistfully at a painting or a musician and wishing creativity upon their child. Creativity however is not limited to the arts and can apply to all other fields.  It is simply the ability to think outside the box.

Contrary to popular belief, creativity is not inborn but can be encouraged and nurtured. Here’s how to foster creativity in your child:

Create a space for him/her.

Set aside a space specifically for your child – this doesn’t have to be a large room; a corner would do. What matters is that your child feels in total control of what happens in that space – no directions from mummy and daddy. Freedom tends to open their minds to possibilities that would have been stifled were they under control.

Fill your child’s space with toys, coloring books, musical instruments, dolls that can be dressed up and so on.

Allow your child make creative decisions.

Decisions such as what should go in your child’s space should be his/her decision. Also, refrain from controlling every thought in your child’s head like “Susie why don’t you use this color” or “You are doing it wrong Bobby”. Let your child use whatever color and let them turn puzzle pieces up and down till they get it right.

 

Don’t try to understand everything

If your child brings a picture he/she painted and the subject of the picture doesn’t seem so clear, don’t make a big deal out of trying to understand what the gooey green objects stand for or why the heart is painted green and not red. Sometimes a gooey green object is just a gooey green object. Asking your child questions like “what does this mean” or “what made you do this” could put a damper in the creative process. Your child might just stop creating to avoid the numerous questions.

Plus, there are a lot of priceless art works that nobody seems to understand.

Image source: Pinterest

If, however your child’s creation is offensive or improper, then those questions need answers.

It’s okay to allow your child be bored.

Boredom usually brings out our most creative sides. When children are bored, they tend to create activities to keep busy.

Tell a story.

If your child is already pretty good with expressions, read half of a story and ask how he/she thinks the story should end. With this exercise, your child can easily go from completing stories to creating stories.

 

Do you have other ways you encourage creativity in your child? Share in the comment section