Creativity is the way to innovation and higher thinking. However, you have to sow the seeds of creativity at a young age. After all, it’s difficult to be raised without creativity and then be told to be creative. Luckily, there are a variety of ways that you can help your child embrace their creativity from a young age.

Make Time for Play

There are benefits to a child having structured, disciplined time in their lives. For instance, they wouldn’t learn as well in school if they had no rules to sit and listen to the teacher. This is an area of their life where enforced rules are a benefit.

However, you should also give your child time to play as they please during the day and you’ll see a lot of budding creativity. For instance, in an hour or two in which they can play pretend, a child might come up with several scenarios where they play the role of doctor, superhero, astronaut, or more. Don’t be afraid to play with them and show them that grown-ups can be creative too!

Arts and Crafts

Another great way to foster creativity in kids is with crafts. Take some time every so often and sit down with your child with all the craft supplies you own – buttons, felt, construction paper, glitter, and anything else you can get your hands on – and let them make whatever they want.

You can also find crafts for them to do if your child does better with specific instructions rather than open-ended assignments. Even then, though, don’t be afraid to let them stray from the norm a little bit. Let add touches like using their own colours or adding their name to personalize the crafts they make.

Let Them Explore

When something stops working or breaks in the house, don’t simply throw it away. Instead, help your child examine it, take it apart, and learn how it works.

For instance, say you have an old desktop sitting around, not being used. You could always take a day with your child and help them pull it apart and see what a computer looks like on the inside. This will show them that there is more to the things they use every day than meets the eye and will help to foster creativity and curiosity.

Always Encourage New Ideas

You should also do everything in your power to keep your child thinking and generating new ideas. One of the best ways to do this is to ask them questions with open-ended answers. For example, instead of asking your child if they want to do a specific activity that weekend, which is a simple yes or no question, ask them what they want to do. This way, they are coming up with ideas and thinking about what you could do.

With that in mind, you shouldn’t point out or shoot down bad ideas either. This can embarrass or otherwise upset your child and stop them from coming up with creative answers to problems. Instead, point out and encourage particularly good ideas. This positive reinforcement will make your child feel like their ideas are valuable.

Encourage Learning

The more children learn about the world, the more they will be able to contribute to it and feel as they are a part of it. In addition, enriching yourself in art and literature can foster creativity in anyone, especially children.

So, you should encourage your child to read often, for one. You can also do things like taking them to museums. There are even museums and activities made specifically for children that are more hands-on and fun for them.

Emphasize the Process

Oftentimes, children are congratulated for the pay off of their ideas. For instance, if they come up with a creative idea for a project for school, they are usually congratulated on the high grade they receive.

Instead, you should congratulate and encourage your child’s creative thinking not just the end product they come up with. Doing otherwise will only work to show your child that even if they come up with a creative process, it isn’t worth it if the end result isn’t as good as they or you hope.

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