This week’s topic is one of my personal favorites: kids and creativity. They go hand in hand with one another quite naturally.
Valerie shared some wonderful gift ideas to spark the creative process, but I didn’t want to stop there. I know this is a topic we could spend a few days talking about …
So let’s discuss, what have you found to be the best way to inspire creativity in your own children? Every child is different, so I’m hoping we have a wide breadth of answers here.
@stacyofksw: How do you inspire creativity in your children? Something not listed here, leave it in the comments. #parenting
I put together this simple poll to get the ball rolling. You can cast your vote by clicking on the photo above and selecting your favorite:
A) Painting B) Crayons C) Journaling or D) Story Prompts
… or leave a comment here letting me know what creative materials or processes your kids really enjoy. You could even leave a link to a blog post of your own about this topic, I’d love to read it!
Our newest contributor, Jane, highlights two of my children’s favorite creative outlets:
and
Check them out. I’ll be back soon to share more of my favorite creative projects with you.
Oh, the recycle bin is a great one! We call ours the “Invention Kit”. Amazing how many toys my kiddos have made for themselves using recycled materials and ample free time to explore them. My kiddos are enjoying storytelling at the moment, and my oldest draws her own little comics to go along with them. I think they would both enjoy a fabric stash as well — I’ll add it to our “must try” list for this week! 🙂
I inspire creativity in my kids by just drawing and coloring with them. They are so surprised that I can draw and it usually turns into a good laughing session!
Love it Michelle! Your kiddos can turn anything into a laughing session 🙂 btw … we need a laughing session soon!
I inspire creativity in my kids by playing pretend. Their favorite version of this is when we’re outside, we pretend we’re animal rescuers. There’s typically an animal in trouble….and they carry jump ropes (rescue ropes), binoculars, and magnifying glasses around and we pretend to rescue the animals. With the magnifying glass, they’re always intrigued by bugs like Roly Poly’s. We wind up making up stories about them. I feel like being outside is always a boost to our creative spirits 🙂
Now that sounds like fun! Jessica, how old are your littles?
My kids love to be creative – but I don’t have a crafty bone in my body! So they do what they want with paint, crayons, markers, etc.
I dont think you are giving yourself enough credit Sara, I think you are super creative!
We like to boost creativity by bringing our toys and materials outside: putting chalk on the sidewalk, letting bubbles loose in the wind, grabbing a handful of popsicle sticks and building a fort in the sandbox.
I love projects but my girls are too little to take direction so I usually just let my oldest do her own thing with whatever materials I am working with. Yesterday it was fabric, pom poms, glue, scissors, paper and burlap. We also let them create anywhere with anything- chalk on the sidewalk, paints on canvas or paper, colors, etc. (I do try to keep the furniture and clothes off limits but my walls and doors have been colored on more times than I can recall… thank God they are washable crayons. 🙂
We keep a box of odds and ends in a kitchen cabinet. Stickers that come in the mail, leftover bubble wrap, feathers, etc… My younger kids like to make “inventions” out of that stuff! My kids also show a lot of creativity in the kitchen making snacks and decorating desserts. I just wish I had the patience to participate with them more often!