6 wAYS TO NURTURE YOUR CHILD'S CREATIVITY THIS TERM'S HOLIDAY
There should be no limits to the amount of creativity you can unleash in your child. Holidays are the perfect time to be able to do this. It just takes a bit of organisation and some perspective on creativity. Creativity is simply using your imagination to create something original or inventive. It is making use of different ideas and objects to make something to entertain ourselves and others.
With creativity, it is essential to have fun and scale the activities to suit the children's ages. Here are 6 suggestions to use as guidelines for more creativity in the holidays. These guidelines do not give specific things to do but rather give parents an idea of creative areas that could be used to stimulate creativity.
1. Encourage Imagination
Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Think about those simple words coming from one of the greatest minds the world has ever known. The way to encourage imagination is to provide access to imaginative spaces in your home. Create areas where children can play imaginative games with toys, books, and construction apparatus. Puppets, dress-up, role-play, and encouraging playtime help to nurture creative minds. Play with your child's ideas and join in imaginary tea parties or watch children make up their plays to entertain you. Give this time your full attention by not answering your phone and contributing to the imaginative play through listening and reacting positively.
2. Provide Art and Craft Materials
Allow children to experiment with paint, crayons, paper, playdough, and other art and craft materials. Have a hands-on day when all these things are available and make something. Take this activity higher by using one of the programmes like Red Ted Art as a guide for creating and crafting. Remember, the kitchen and baking can be a great source of creativity. Making and decorating cupcakes and cookies is an ideal way to simultaneously learn about baking and be creative.
3. Use the Great Outdoors to Stimulate Creativity
Nature is the source of many different creative scenarios. Picnics in the park, treasure hunts outside, nature walks, and family outings in the holidays with other children encourage imagination. Invite some friends to join a play date in the park or your backyard if you have the space and are home to supervise. Use the outdoors as an opportunity to build a fort or create a camp and let older children have a campout in their garden.
4. Music and Movement
Learn silly songs and rhymes with actions to stimulate musical appreciation and enjoyment of rhyme and rhythm. Play musical games because they are suitable for encouraging play-acting and drama. Mime or lip-sync to favourite music. Dance and sing, and let your children enjoy a sense of freedom of expression through music. Try combining your craft ideas and music to make your instruments. For example, some stones in a plastic bottle can make a great shaker, and an old box soon becomes a drum. Before you know it, you will have your band!
5. Enjoy Stories. Read Them or Make Them Up
Books and storytelling are great ways to encourage imagination. Books and stories are catalysts for letting imaginations riot into storytelling and play-acting. Children love to act out little scenarios dramatising well-known stories and making plays for their families. Take time through the medium of storytelling to ask questions about the story. Try the 'what if' type; you have access to some puppets. Let your children tell a story by using their imagination and a puppet.
6. Limit Screen Time
Children who are encouraged to use their imagination will not be glued to the television or some technical device. Imagination requires active learning. Spending too much time on a digital device is more about passive learning, and very little creativity continues. Less screen time means more interaction with one another or the creative activities you have provided to stimulate imaginations.
Creativity is the sum of all these parts. It may be messy or noisy or busy or chaotic at times. However, the secret of success lies in the simple physical, mental, emotional, and psychological benefits. You will be surprised at how much the children enjoy these opportunities to be creative. You can make matters easier for yourself by using some plastic crates or cardboard boxes to store the activities. Your box is prepared with all the basics when you are ready for a craft activity. Teach your children to tidy up as part of the activity time.
Once you are engaged in these creative moments, you will be surprised by how quickly time flies. You will have provided entertainment and nourished your child's creative spirit in one nurturing session.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A TUTOR FOR YOUR CHILD FOR THE COMING NEW TERM?
Whether your child is looking to catch up, keep up or excel, we've got a tutoring program to help. Build your child’s confidence, gain motivation and improve results with Tutor2you's personalised tutoring.
Talk to us today at 1300 4200 79 or simply book your free initial consultation here.
