Creativity runs the world. Without it, early man never would have created the wheel, and the Wright brothers wouldn’t have invented the first flyable airplane. We would have no need for museums or art galleries or books. Human culture would be pretty drab without creativity, as it defines us as a thinking species and contributes to our social growth in countless ways.
Parents with a creative and inquisitive child are being offered a glimpse into their offspring’s future, a future that can be full of unlimited potential, rewarding career achievements, and personal triumph. It’s up to those parents to encourage their child to put that creativity into action early on so that rewards can be reaped, not only in the moment, but later in life too.
Watch Me Grow Las Vegas is keen on keeping you involved in your child’s creative growth, no matter where or when it happens. We’d like to introduce the following tips on how to foster your child’s creativity.
Allow Them To Make Decisions
Particularly observant parents realize that giving their children the option to make decisions throughout the day can lead to children that think independently, a trait that is necessary for the creative child to thrive. Allow your child to make simple choices, such as what shirt to wear for the day or what to eat for dinner. As long as you don’t go too far with this and maintain your position as the parent, you’ll find that simple decision making can be a huge boon for your child’s creative output, not to mention their overall growth.
Allow Them To Conceptualize
To a child, any everyday object you take for granted can be something quite different. A blanket can become a superhero cape, for example, or a cardboard tube can turn into a telescope or a toy tower. Brainstorming is a big part of creativity, so don’t forget to allow them the opportunity to exercise it when they get a chance.
Encourage Independence From Media And Culture Figures
Although shows like “Sesame Street” and “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” are undoubtedly a positive influence on kids and their creativity, a child that learns to be habitually entertained by what they see on t.v. will sometimes struggle to come up with ideas of their own. Instead of allowing your child to sit in front of the television or computer tablet all day, encourage them to exercise their minds by going outside or playing with arts and crafts.
Tell Stories
Whether it’s from a book or from your own imagination, tell stories during down time. If you’re just making something up, take cues from your child and craft the story according to their mood. Allow them to contribute if they feel the need to, and challenge them to ask questions about it.
Better yet, give your child the opportunity to tell a story in the form of painting, drawing, or physical play. You can even turn chore time into fun time by letting them make a narrative out of it. Who knew that sorting laundry could be fun?
Provide Resources
Do you keep catching your child playing with your old copies of the newspaper or find them fascinated by the way a cardboard box works? Let them engage their creative curiosity by providing open (but obviously supervised) access to what interests them:
Set aside time in the day to allow them to experiment with the way their favorite object of attention works and how they can affect it
Clear a safe space somewhere in your house to give your child room to play and make a mess
Don’t force your guidance on your child — allow them to find out how things work and let them ask questions at their own pace
Provide them with toys and crafts that are similar to what they show an interest in
Let Them Make Mistakes
A child that doesn’t learn from their mistakes will just end up making more of them later in life. In the creative process, making mistakes is just part of finding out what works and what doesn’t — when your child is not happy with how their watercolor painting came out, let them know that there is nothing wrong with trying it again until they are satisfied with the results. Sometimes, mistakes can lead to the best outcomes!
Play With Them
Don’t just watch you child create, do it with them! A child loves nothing more than to have their mom or dad interact with them in something they enjoy. Whether it is playing with Legos or making paper airplanes, your child will be overjoyed to engage with you as a part of their creative playtime.
Break out those fingerpaints and prepare to get a little messy!
BRING YOUR CHILD TO WATCH ME GROW FOR THE BEST DAYCARE IN NORTH LAS VEGAS
Need daycare in the North Las Vegas area? Watch Me Grow Las Vegas provides safe, quality educational day care to the children and families of North Las Vegas. With Watch Me Grow, you get custom daycare developed around you and your family. Come check out our programs or contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!
