3 Keys to Sparking Creativity in Your Kids

Children are naturally imaginative and, if given the proper opportunities, will be creative in a variety of ways. But sometimes our children aren’t as creative as we think they could be. Perhaps they just need a little “nudge” in the right direction. If you would like to foster more creativity in your home, here are three keys to sparking creativity in your kids.

Carve Out Time

Do your children have the time to be creative? Undertaking creative activities requires adequate time. While some ideas might come as a spark of inspiration, others develop slowly over hours or even days. If your children are rushing from activity to activity, they will rarely have time to simply explore their own creative interests.

Is there a way you can provide more unstructured time for your children to explore their creativity? If your children live a packed life, look for ways you can open up blocks of time during their week. Giving them the opportunity to explore their creative interests is the first step.

Provide Materials

Providing materials to spark creativity is equally as important as finding time. What does your child gravitate toward? Making things with her hands? Painting? Dolls? Drawing? Playing dress up? Creating something new out of recyclables? Sewing? Acting out stories?

The right kinds of materials will vary from child to child. Dress-up clothes, craft materials, dolls, and boxes of all shapes and sizes can all spark creativity depending on your child’s particular interests. Observe how your child plays and then look for ways to provide materials that will spark even more creativity.

Look for materials on sale. Back-to-School time each semester is a great time to stock up on art supplies. Other items, like dress-up clothes, can often be found at second hand sales or thrift shops. Don’t be afraid to ask around – maybe you can barter or swap with another parent for certain materials like musical instruments.

Dedicate Space

Creativity requires space. Sometimes it might only be a table and other times it might require an entire room. Given that creativity is something that tends to develop over time, a space that can be utilized for an ongoing amount of time is even better.

Do your children have space to become creative? Do you provide a place for your children to spread out and become totally engaged in their creative endeavors? If your children have to put away all of their materials every time they get a creative burst, it makes them less likely to get them out again. Easy availability of materials and space can make a big difference in inspiring creativity in children.

Creativity is a wonderful characteristic to encourage in our children. The more opportunities we give them to explore their creative interests, the more they will learn about themselves and the world around them. By making simple adjustments in our homes such as blocking out creative time blocks, providing appropriate materials, and giving them space, we can encourage greater creativity in our families.