Being creative should be in our blood and it’s something that we all have to experience to give us the chances in life we want to pursue. For children, this is a perfect opportunity to discover what they enjoy about life and what they want to discover about themselves; they have the world at their fingertips and it should be nurtured.
That said, there are a multitude of opportunities for your child to build on their skills and let them be naturally creative. They will vary for each child, but it’s good to look at the options to help your child find the right balance in what they enjoy and what will help them be naturally inquisitive.
Here are some ways you can help your child become more naturally creative as recommended by these secondary schools in Kingston upon Thames.
Make time for arts and crafts
A firm favourite with young children is arts and crafts. But they are recommended all of the time for good reason – it’s an entirely fluid experience and will allow your child to find different elements of art that they enjoy. For instance, it’s good practice to have a range of different art supplies out on the table – from cutting up bits of felt to playing with glitter glue.
If your child wants to, let them pick out what they’d like to play with at the crafts shop. Giving them the power can help greatly with their self-esteem. And at least in this way you know your child is going to use what you have bought them.
There’s also no harm in buying a bunch of supplies and letting your child investigate for themselves. See what they do with their new found art tools and see what they come up with. In this situation it’s best to have an open space and some mats for them to play safely on, in case they make a huge mess.
Bake cakes together
This is more about teaching your child a process as much as it is about creativity, but making yummy cakes together can help your child find a new outlet. It will teach your child about solving problems and learning to use the oven with supervision, both of which help your child in becoming more rounded and supportive individuals.
Cakes can also be up to what your child personally enjoys. Your child might really like brownies, which is another way of cooking altogether, compared to baking a Victoria Sponge for example. Let your child think of things they want to bake and lean in on what they fancy trying.
Ask lots of open questions, and answer their questions
Open questions are great for a child to think about how they can learn new things without the pressure of a school environment. Invite them to answer in whatever way they like, even if the answers seem silly or aren’t correct. At this stage it’s just to see how your child thinks and what they want to get out of everyday life, and it can make all the difference if your child has the opportunity to answer how they like.
On the flip side, your child will be asking you lots of different and funny questions. Lean in on the fun here and answer back in peculiar ways. As your child gets older they will be asking a lot more serious questions, so facilitating their curiosity early on helps them feel more comfortable talking to you about anything.
Helping a child be creative should feel fun and exciting. Your child will, over time, learn that being inquisitive, curious and creative will land them in good stead, and helps them learn to be more sociable and keen to develop new skills. Thankfully the process is very straightforward from a parents’ point of view, and it’s worth taking the time to facilitate their needs.
