How To Encourage Creativity In Your Child
Creativity is such an important thing for any child, helping not only with artistic expression but also with academic and emotional intelligence. Whilst you might think that creativity is something you’re either born with or you’re not, in actuality, creativity is a skill that can be taught from an early age. Make sure you help to promote your child’s development the best you can with these simple tips.
Feed Their Imagination Through Reading
Reading is one of the best ways to grow your child’s creativity. Getting stuck into a good storybook is a great way to get their imagination going, whilst also helping enrich their literacy skills. If you’re reading with your child, ask them questions such as what they think the characters in the book would look like or what they would sound like. Getting your child to visualise the things they’re reading will spark their creative mind and make their stories really come to life.
Let Them Dress Themselves
Clothing and the way we dress is a creative process in itself, which is why encouraging your child to dress themselves is a good way to reach a more creative outlook overall. Start by setting out a selection of their clothing and letting them choose each item for their outfit. Giving your child the freedom to wear what they want to wear also helps them develop a sense of independence, along with growing their own personal style. For an outfit that’s extra special, why not add some designer items to your child’s wardrobe such as a kids Moschino top from Strawberry Childrenswear.
Encourage Them to Decorate Their Bedroom
Along with dressing themselves, giving your child that freedom to decide how they want their own bedroom to look is key to encouraging creative thought. Let them choose the colours they’d like to use and what accessories they like such as rugs, cushions and curtains. Creating a gallery wall for them to display any artwork they’ve done is also a good way for them to showcase their creative efforts whilst also giving their room a more personal touch.
Spend Time On Arts And Crafts
Try to focus your child’s attention on arts and crafts as a fun everyday activity. Instead of coming home from school or nursery and sitting in front of the TV, encourage your little one to spend time creating things. A good way to do this is by setting up an ‘art station’ — an area in their bedroom or another room in the house, complete with paints and art supplies. Just make sure to lay down some protective sheeting to avoid any messy rugs or stained wooden floors!
Give Them Encouragement
Whenever your child produces a piece of artwork, be sure to give them plenty of compliments. Talk about the things you love about what they’ve made and make sure you’re as descriptive as possible. Rather than saying ‘that’s beautiful’, say something like ‘I love the colours you’ve used and the way you’ve drawn these shapes!’ This type of language causes your child to really analyse the steps they’ve taken and helps them learn to express themselves creatively.
Carla is the founder of MyBump2Baby. Carla has a huge passion for linking together small businesses and growing families. Carla’s humorous, non-filtered honesty has won the hearts of thousands of parents throughout the UK.
She has previously written for the Metro and made appearances on BBC News, BBC 5 live, LBC etc. Carla is a finalist for Blogger of the Year award with Simply Ladies inc. Carla is also the host of the popular Fifty Shades of Motherhood podcast and The MyBump2Baby Expert podcast.
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