Creativity
is highly valued throughout our entire life, it is the ability to find hidden
patterns, make connections, perceive the world in new ways, generate solutions
and “think outside the box.” Creativity is beyond being the next Master of
Arts; it is also being highly skilled in managing your personal and
professional life. However, contrary to many believers, this is not a magical
gift some people are just born with. Creativity can be learned and sharpened
like any other skill.
Why you should incentive your child’s
creativity
The early
years of a child are the best moment to praise and encourage creativity. Young
children have not yet been surrounded by rules, laws and so on. Their mind is
innocent, genuine and free of any judgments. Magic tales are real, and
everything is possible during this age.
Why is art so important
Crafts and
arts not just increase creativity as well it helps to develop motor, social,
mental and emotional skills. A simple crayon drawing can teach counting pieces
and colors, experiment different materials, and if properly encouraged can even
boost confidence. A child who feels free to experiment and make mistakes may be
more skillful while analyzing and solving problems.
How to inspire creativity with crafts and arts
Kids need
some time far from tablets, video games, and commercial toys. This is important
to the child have time to have other types of experiences, learn what they like
or don’t, being free to make mistakes and have a sense of control.
Define your child’s space for mess
You can
have a room for this, or any area you prefer. Throw an old cloth or newspaper
on top of a table and let your child be free to experiment. After the art or
craft is done, also encourage them to help you clean the space and tide it up.
Avoid adult direction
Creativity
should flourish without adult directions, so try not to be so bossy. Allow them
to feel free and autonomous to explore their ideas and put them into practice.
Don’t give suggestions as: “Why don’t you draw our family¿” or “why don’t you
use more colors?.” Even if the child just draws a single dot in the middle of
the paper.
Explore the process
It can be
hard to read a kid’s mind by just watching what they are doing. Ask them to
articulate the ideas behind the drawing or craft. This will not only help you
understand them better, as it will encourage them to practice communication
skills.
Supplies should be easy to access
You don’t
need a huge budget to do this. Spare a drawer or cabinet accessible for the
kids and have some old boxes, crayons, empty paper towel rolls, and paper.
Supervise if they need to add scissors and duct tape to the creative process.
Also, encourage them to tide it all up afterward.
Encourage different kinds of craft
Creating
things with their own hands has a meaningful impact on a child’s emotions. They
can feel good about their creation and express themselves through it. Learning
how to sew, for example, can provide benefits such as mature their fingers
dexterity, learn patience and self-regulation, how to make critical decisions
and boost solving problem skills. You can start teaching your kids to sew
whenever they feel like it. It is never too early to start, but in this case
you will need to have a higher level of supervision and be there all the steps.
You can begin sewing small things, maybe some felt projects that require less
pointy needles. And it is okay if you need to finish the project for them or
just give final touches to it. The important here is for them to have a sense
of making efforts, teamwork, and accomplishment. When they get older, chances
are they will be able to finish all by themselves and feel good about it too.
Materials to always have on hand
Crafts and
arts are not only rainy or snowy days. Have some of these materials available
at the house so your kid can jump into action any time. Remember you don’t have
to invest in crafting materials all at once. Start slow and check your child
preferences. Then, you can decide to pursue more and better quality materials.
• washable paint, paintbrushes
• stamps
• crayons, colored pencils, scissors, glue,
glitter
• plain and colored paper
• felt, fabric, buttons
• ribbon, yarn, string, beads
• drinking straws, egg cartons, cardboard
tubes
• magazines, newspapers, catalogs
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