Children have wild imaginations. They overflow with fantasies and fairy tales and all that fun stuff that comes with innocence. And that’s good!
A healthy imagination is important for every child’s development. It helps them to think outside the box, to see life from different perspectives. It lets them have fun while learning and discovering new things.
Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash
Imagination, creativity—these contribute to their growth. In fact, kindergarten, elementary, and even junior high have art activities in their curriculum to nurture creativity in students.
But don’t just rely on the professionals. Education begins at home, so do your part to foster creativity in your kids. Do any of these creative activities with them.
Engage Them with Arts and Crafts
The most straightforward way for kids to become more creative is for them to create. Music, painting, sculpting—that sort of thing. However, kids being kids, a more appropriate hobby would be crafting.
Craft supplies are cheap and easy to get, so your child can go crazy and pursue any idea or creative spark without you worrying over the material costs.
Let them play with glitter and glue and a project that any kid can do, and watch as their imaginations take form. It may not always be perfect, and it’ll often be abstract even; however, always give them encouragement. Don’t be critical, as that’s the quickest way to kill creativity.
Let them feel that what they’ve created matters, and let them continue doing their crafts. Remember, it takes time and patience for a skill to develop, just like how it is for a child to grow.
Take Them to a Playground
Pretend play is another common activity that kids do. By living out different roles (e.g., firefighter, medic, father, mother, monster-slaying first responder, etc.), it helps them become familiar with those said roles.
Most of the time, kids pretend play better when they have something real to base it on—a toy sword, for example, or a dollhouse. Such toys are all well and good; however, you can take their games to the next level.
Specifically, you can take your child to a playground—an adventure playground. Doing so will open up their imaginations, because a playground typically has colorful and fun structures that your kids can play around with.
Besides, there will be other children scuttering about in a playground. Your kids will be able to socialize (which is an important factor to growth too) and play with them. Not only will your kids become more creative, but they’ll also make more friends!
Be Creative Yourself
Children learn through imitation. They mimic the things they see; they follow the people around them. Your kids will copy what you do. You are their hero, after all; you are their parent, whose near-constant proximate presence contributes most to their initial growth.
So knowing that, be creative yourself.
Do DIY projects. Let your children watch you as you work. Better yet, prod them with questions about what they’re observing. Ask them what the next step you should take as you progress through your task. That’ll make them an active participant and, thus, make it easier for them to learn.
This isn’t just limited to the workbench. You can also show creativity in probably every mundane activity.
For example, during a family conversation at dinner or while watching TV together, engage in wordplay. Have fun with puns and humor. Comedy always has a positive effect on the mind, and wordplay makes the brain work for the punchline. In fact, a good sense of humor helps one think outside the box.
Conclusion
Kids won’t remain kids forever. Time flies, of course, and you may get surprised at how much your little ones have grown.
So don’t take your time with them for granted. Do any of these activities with them, and you’ll help them grow up to become better adults.
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