Raising a creative child is much easier than you think. By choosing this method of education, you create conditions for the child to ask many interesting questions about various topics, and during these questions and answers, you develop creative thinking in the child. Today we present you tricks and ideas that you can use to spark creativity in your child.
Many parents unconsciously prefer teaching their children practical life skills to creative thinking skills. For example, from their point of view, learning how to ride a bike, obeying the law, and respecting others is much more necessary than doing things differently and creatively. Bobby Wegner, a clinical psychologist in Boston, says, “A child who is used to creative thinking can easily follow protocols when finding a solution to a problem and finally solve the problem. “Creative thinking goes beyond childhood and helps them throughout their lives.”
You might think that creativity only comes from drawing a picture, putting on a puppet show, or telling a funny story, But in fact, every moment of your and your child’s daily life is an opportunity to ask interesting questions, model creative thinking and cultivate creativity in their mind. You may not believe it, but raising a child is much easier than you think.
25 ideas for raising a creative child.
1. When your child asks you for help to solve a problem, wait to give them the answer. It doesn’t matter if it’s about homework or a general question like how to find a friend. Instead of answering, ask them what he thinks and praise all ideas, especially those unexpected and outside the usual frame of mind.
2. Play with your child but do not ask them to follow you in playing the game. It doesn’t matter if you’re hunting dragons or flying to the moon in a cardboard box; it doesn’t interfere with the gameplay or direct any part of it. Let them step on the path of creativity and create the game. “These types of interactions send the message to the child that you support their creative space and make it a priority,” says Dr. Wegner.
3. Try to do home repair work with the help of online tutorials. If things don’t go as expected, call an expert, it’s okay if you don’t know the answers to all the questions. This is a great way to model creative problem-solving skills in your child.
4. Let the children get dirty! Send your child outside when it rains and encourage them to walk in the mud, jump in puddles and play in a way that fills them with a sense of freedom and happiness.
5. Give your child your tablet or mobile phone to learn how to take, edit and save photos. Then ask them to take pictures of different scenes and subjects that interest them.
6. Ask your child to imagine what he would do if he had strange powers. For example, ask them: “If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?”
7. If you plan to visit a museum or bird garden, download its special application to check it with your child before and after the visit. This method is beneficial for extending their learning and thinking creatively about the experience after an event.
8. Bake cookies or pancakes with your child. Use simple instructions or modify the instructions so that he can quickly and with their enthusiasm. For example, use white chocolate chips instead of sugar or substitute raisins for flavoring extracts. These changes may turn out so well that you don’t return to the original recipe.
9. Ask your child to solve a family problem. For example, when the living room is always messy, ask them how to solve this problem. According to Dr. Wegner, this makes the child feel important, allows them to solve problems creatively, and allows them to contribute to managing the family.
10. Play with your child their favorite game, but encourage them to set new rules for the game. By doing this, he feels it is a new game and enjoys it more.
11. Ask your child questions that will open their intellectual horizons. For example, ask them: “If you could give one gift to every child in the world, what gift would he choose?”
12. Make simple changes to create different experiences from everyday activities. For example, play music in the morning when he eats breakfast, gets ready to go to school, or at night when you eat dinner with your family. You can even ask them to choose and listen to the music together.
13. Choose new routes to get back from school or the store.
14. Go grocery shopping with your child and ask them to look for a fruit, vegetable, or food he hasn’t eaten before. Then find an interesting recipe and cook dinner together with that new treat.
15. Go for a walk with your child and encourage them to collect rocks, branches, flowers, and natural objects. When you get home, make up a story or craft with what he managed.
16. Extracurricular activities are great, but you must also give your child time for unstructured activities. Some time for creative play in the day is essential.
17. Get some stuffed animals and a kid’s medical coat, and turn the living room into a vet clinic.
18. Give your child drawing ideas. Ask them, “If you could invent something that would make life easier for people, what would you invent? What does this device look like, and what does it do?” Ask them to draw the device and tell you about it.
19. Ask your child to prepare a set of clothes for that day from the clothes and shoes he has yet to wear together. Then take a picture of them wearing the new outfit.
20. Activate the child’s creativity with different toys that can change shape. Toys such as magnetic blocks and tiles, house building, sand, doll house, animals, and play dough suit this. You can even make toys with different clothes or a matchbox.
21. When your child is doing something, encourage their efforts and don’t expect results. Tell them, “I’m proud of you for studying hard for this test. I know you spent a lot of time studying. Motivating children has a lasting effect on how much they use their minds to learn and solve problems, much more lasting than any test score!
22. When your child fails to do something and feels terrible, don’t tell them it’s okay. Instead, ask them, “Why does he think he didn’t get a better score on the test?” This question allows them to think about the situation and develop a creative solution to do the job better.
23. Teach your child how to film them with a cell phone. Ask them to interview you like a news anchor or film the surroundings while the music plays.
24. If you buy a device with a big box, don’t throw it away and put it in a part of the house. Let them decide what to do with this box. See if it turns into a castle or a rocket to the moon.
25. Choose a favorite family story and ask your child to tell it from their point of view. For example, tell others the most exciting event of the summer vacation or the events that happened on the day he was born. Then ask your sister or your doctor to explain it. Thinking about a story from different perspectives is one of the most important creative thinking skills.
Raising a creative child seems complicated, but some simple tricks and methods will help you easily prepare your mind for creative thinking. This skill will help them in their childhood and throughout their life. The 25 ideas presented in this article are a small part of the activities you can do to achieve this goal. Raising a creative child is like insurance for their whole life; you give them this insurance by doing simple things.
What is the importance of developing creativity in children?
Developing creativity in children is important as it helps them ask many interesting questions about various topics and develop creative thinking. It goes beyond childhood and helps them throughout their lives.
What are some misconceptions about creativity?
Some people might think that creativity only comes from drawing a picture, putting on a puppet show, or telling a funny story. However, every moment of daily life is an opportunity to ask interesting questions, model creative thinking, and cultivate creativity.
How can parents encourage creativity when their child asks for help to solve a problem?
Instead of directly giving them the answer, parents can ask the child what they think and praise all ideas, especially those unexpected and outside the usual frame of mind.
How can parents use playtime to encourage creativity?
Parents can play with their child but not direct any part of the game. Letting the child create the game encourages creativity.
How can parents use home repair work to model creative problem-solving skills?
Parents can try to do home repair work with the help of online tutorials. If things don’t go as expected, calling an expert models creative problem-solving skills.
How can parents use technology to encourage creativity?
Parents can give their child a tablet or mobile phone to learn how to take, edit, and save photos. They can ask the child to take pictures of different scenes and subjects that interest them.
How can parents use cooking to encourage creativity?
Parents can bake cookies or pancakes with their child and modify the instructions so that the child can quickly and enthusiastically participate. For example, use white chocolate chips instead of sugar or substitute raisins for flavoring extracts.
How can parents use family problems to encourage creativity?
Parents can ask their child to solve a family problem. This makes the child feel important, allows them to solve problems creatively, and allows them to contribute to managing the family.
How can parents use toys to activate the child’s creativity?
Parents can provide different toys that can change shape, such as magnetic blocks and tiles, house building, sand, doll house, animals, and play dough.
How can parents use failure to encourage creativity?
When a child fails to do something and feels terrible, parents can ask the child why they think they didn’t perform better. This question allows the child to think about the situation and develop a creative solution to do the job better.
