How to Nurture Creativity in Kids
Contribution Guest Post
Most kids are brimming with imagination. As grown-ups, this imagination starts to erode as the focus shifts to the serious business of adulting. The power of imagination and creative thinking are often overlooked in society. When kids start school, value is placed on academic achievement and receiving a glowing report, and kids’ creativity may start to wane. Academic achievement, is of course, important but being creative has many benefits too.
The ability to think creatively can help with problem-solving, conflict resolution and can improve adaptability to change. Each of these is hugely beneficial in everyday life as an adult, so leaving creativity and imagination behind in early childhood is a great shame.
With increasing numbers of people experiencing mental health issues, more people are turning to creative hobbies for stress relief and self-expression. Encouraging your child to embrace their creativity means that they won’t lose touch with their creative side and all of the benefits that it brings. Here are just some of the ways that you can help nurture your child’s creativity:
Encourage Freedom of Expression
Letting your child make age-appropriate choices is an excellent way to help kids to develop their sense of identity and grow in confidence. Allowing your child the freedom to express themselves is a crucial part of this. Obviously, if these choices are unsafe or inappropriate, you will need to intervene. But, even simple acts such as allowing kids to choose their clothes each morning and letting them listen to music that they enjoy are beneficial and allows them to express their unique personality.
Combine a Hobby with Creativity
Creative hobbies don’t need to involve painting and producing works of art. There are many creative hobbies that kids can try that can help to grow their confidence and allow them to express themselves. If your child loves to be active, then contemporary dance could be the perfect way for them to combine self-expression and creativity while being active at the same time. If your child enjoys dancing, then attending a contemporary dance class so that they can develop their talent could be an excellent choice of hobby.
Learn New Skills
Learning new skills may not sound creative, but acquiring new skills can provide the foundation needed to be creative. A perfect example of this is learning to play a musical instrument. While you may need to follow set rules to start to produce the sound from your instrument, once you have mastered the technique, you have the freedom to be as creative as you like and to continue to learn on your terms.
Embrace New Experiences
Going on family adventures and enthusiastically embracing new experiences is a great way to increase your child’s awareness of the world and creativity at the same time. Visiting new places and trying new things encourages your child to be curious about the world around them and stimulates their creativity. Being unafraid of new experiences will also teach them one of the most vital skills needed in life; resilience.