All children are creative at some point in their lives. However, as they get older, that creativity tends to get stifled. By the time they hit their teens, they will have a way of thinking that will remain that way for the rest of their lives. For families that want to give their children more options when they are older, this can cause a problem. It’s important, then, for parents to encourage creativity at a very early stage. Here are some ideas for people who want to raise imaginative, problem-solving, and creative children.
Feed them better food
Kids, in general, would rather chow down with a large cream cake than a plateful of steamed vegetables. And, that makes it tough for parents to encourage healthy eating all the time, especially if they are mixing childcare with work. Sure, there will be times when they need a treat. However, it’s vital to feed children with nutritious food, as much as humanly possible. A balanced diet, with minimal sugar and no unhealthy fats, will give them a lot more energy, and help them think more creatively.
Getting them to solve problems
Creativity isn’t just about making fancy pictures, writing fantastic stories, or playing an instrument. It’s also about problem-solving. So, the next time your child comes to you and asks you to fix something that has broken, show them how to fix it. It could be a TV remote or a ripped page from their favorite book – it just doesn’t matter. The point is they will get the encouragement they need to find out solutions to their problems without help. Parents should also try this when it comes to home repairs. Instead of calling someone out to fix the plumbing, they should try to be an example for their kids by doing it themselves. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work, either, as it shows the young ones it is OK to fail.
Rewarding failure
When children fail, they can get incredibly upset. So, it’s important that they get praise, rather than admonishment for their failure. Another way to approach this is for parents to ask their kids what went wrong – and how they can improve things next time around. Once they see it is OK to fail, and how to ensure they do better next time, they will stick with the task at hand and come up with creative solutions.
Reward effort
Moving on from the last point, parents would do well to reward the efforts of their children, too. It can be easy to ignore the effort that children put into things. So, it’s important that they feel like it was worth all their concentration, regardless of the outcome. Creativity comes from learning new things, and if a child thinks that their effort isn’t recognized, they will be less likely to try it again. Parents should always reward for effort, and never for results. It will cause problems if they do. If for example, a child is highly intelligent and get their rewards for little effort – and will suffer as a result later on in life. Especially when the subject matter gets a little harder as they progress through school.
Creating
What better way to raise creative children than by parents creating with them? Whether it’s using LEGO or imaginative play, anyone that wants a creative child has to understand the need to get their hands dirty with them. Art and crafts are a great option, too, and it’s also possible to do things with children that might test them even more. For example, under supervision, young ones can even start to embrace activities such as sewing. There’s an excellent guide to what parents can expect over at Quilter’s Review. The sooner parents start pushing boundaries, the quicker their children will start to tackle anything. And, they will do so with relish as they grow older.
The imagination
While toys can be good for initiating playtime, the imagination is far more important to developing creativity. A large, empty box, for example, can become a boat, a spaceship, or a self-contained graffiti wall. A stick can become a sword or a horse. And, a parent’s t-shirt can become a long, flowing dress in the minds of a toddler. It’s important for parents to allow their kids to enjoy imaginative play, and to get involved, too. It’s easy for other distractions to take over – such as the cooking and the cleaning. But, joining in can have a positive impact on those children, just as much as a comfortable home or a good plate of food.
Questioning everything
Many parents out there find the constant questions from their children frustrating. A simple question from a toddler about why a flower is blue can often lead to an in-depth look at the quantum workings of the universe. Of course, all parents realize that this is a good thing. But, instead of answering their child’s questions, they should try making them do some of the work more often. A parent that asks their child questions, as well as answering them, will be giving them a great foundation for creative thought. Once kids understand the rewards of working something out for themselves, they will be more inclined to do it again.
Find things out together
These tough questions from children can often lead to parents struggling to know the answers. So, the best bet is to seek out those answers together. Modern parents are lucky to have access to the Internet – and it’s a valuable tool for teaching children to be more creative. However, it’s important for children to have other sources than the web, too. Introducing them to the local library, for example, can help them understand the value of such places. And, of course, it gets them used to the concept of research. Parents can also try to experiment when their kids ask them a question. For example, they might want to know why a bottle of soda is bad for their teeth. The parent can help the child set up the dirty coin experiment, and leave it overnight to see what happens.
