Encourage Creative Kids

Is there ever any doubt that we all want the best for our kids? A lot of the time that kind of thinking takes the form of concrete things like how healthy they are or their education. The truth is that there are plenty of other ways to nurture your child and make sure that you’re doing the best for them.

One of the most underrated ways that you can love and support your child is by fostering their creative side as well as their academic side. With that in mind, here are just a few things that you can do to encourage your child to embrace their creativity and imagination, to help them slow down and enjoy childhood.

Give them the tools

One of the very best ways to get kids to engage with any kind of creative activity is to give them the tools to do so and then just let them run wild. Whether you’re offering them watercolor pencils, a musical instrument, or even just a pen and piece of paper, giving them the tools to create something and then letting them do whatever they like is one of the best ways to get kids interested in being creative without putting on pressure that can make it seem like work.

It’s better to offer real tools rather than simplified ‘child’ tools.  Things like real paint brushes, or watercolors, rather than cheap versions. These tools are often built to last. They also offer quality and beauty that few cheap versions can replicate.

Follow their passion

Of course, if your child is leaning in one direction or the other, the best thing that you can do is to encourage that. If your child seems really into crafting then, instead of trying to give them other options as well, let them lean into that and encourage them every step of the way.

For instance, my daughter was really into flower pressing for a while. She not only learned how to press flowers, she learned the names of the flowers as well. She can now identify several flowers each season of the year. We purchased her a flower press, a field guide and mounting material for her flowers. 

Sure, they may decide that they’re bored of it after a few weeks but there’s always a chance that they’ll find something that they really love and want to keep pursuing. However, they’re never going to be able to reach that stage unless they’re given the option to explore various different kinds of activities.

Do it with them

Then again, it’s not just about leaving kids to their own devices. There are a few things that kids love more than being able to do any kind of activity with their parents. Not only that but it gives you the chance to help and guide them gently so that they’re able to get the most out of any activity. Just try to avoid the temptation to try and take over to do things “the right way”. When it comes to kids expressing themselves, there really is no “right way”?

Of course, there’s a big difference between encouraging your child to embrace something and trying to push them into a box that they simply don’t fit in. The truth is that not every child is going to be a creative genius. Some are more academically minded, some are more geared toward things like sports, and some are just happy to try different things out here and there to see how they feel without settling into one single path. All of those things are wonderful and you should always embrace them!