Background artwork of quote from the artist Amira Rahim
Many parents hold the false belief that some children are born inherently creative and others just don’t have it. Everyone has the ability to be creative. Creativity is a muscle that needs to be used and flexed in order to grow strong and confident.
Having a creative outlook can improve all areas of a person’s life. From how to solve a math problem to banishing boredom to overcoming a difficulty in a personal relationship, creativity is a skill that can transform the outcome of any issue.
Using creativity as a skill allows children to become more flexible and better at solving problems.
How can parents foster more of it?
Have a dedicated area in your home for art supplies. Just a plastic bin or drawer is all you need. Have cheap drawing paper (copy paper), inexpensive watercolour paper, markers, crayons, oil pastels, soft pastels, watercolour paint, craft acrylic paint, brushes, glue, old magazines, etc…in the bin for easy access.
Let kids create whatever they want without having a judgement on the outcome! Art making is processed based meaning that it is discovered through creating and not by focussing on the end product. Let kids have fun exploring and discovering as they go. Making art spurns curiosity, if I make this line like this and put this colour here what happens next?
Join in on the fun and make your own art along with them. Paint a picture together. Let them make a brush stroke and then you make one, see where it leads naturally.
Cover a wall with their creations and congratulate yourself on helping them flex their creative muscles and watch them grow stronger each day.