Everyone is born with the ability to be creative children and to grow into creative adults. But just because every child can, it doesn't mean every child will. The truth is that many children grow up in environments that stifle their creativity or they don't receive the right affirmations when they try and explore their creative side.
As a parent, you have the power to shape your child's world and give them the best opportunities to express themselves and ignite their inner curiosity and creativity. The following is a look at just a few of our favorite tips for how to raise more creative children:
Tips for Raising Creative Children
- Embrace reading. Reading expands a person's intellectual horizon, exposes them to new experiences, encourages empathy for others, and stimulates a desire to create or emulate. It is this last one that really helps to spur creativity. For example, when your child reads a book about a ninja saving the world, then it can inspire them to want to learn more about ninjas and create role play games about being a ninja.
- Have easily available tools and supplies that encourage free play. The world hasn't seen an era of so many fantastic technologies and tools that streamline learning and engage children. The problem is that things like video games and similar technologies have a tendency to do all the creativity. These technologies create the setting, the characters, the story, etc. This can make them stifling. The cure is to create conditions in which your child does the heavy lifting in terms of story, setting, and character creation. You can help facilitate that by keeping tech-oriented toys available only during set times, and during other times, give your child access to tools and supplies that encourage more free-form play. For example, a costume box that encourages your child to dress up and create stories is a great low-cost, high-reward play idea.
- Ensure your child feels creatively free, even when you're not around. Some after-school programs, schools, and playgroups stifle creativity. Check-in with your child regularly to see how and if they are being encouraged to be creative in those places. Making sure that you child is allowed to express themselves creatively is important, as it encourages positive influence and will likely impact them in the future. Cultivate that positive impact by ensuring your child participates in creative-oriented exercises and activities both with you and when you're away.
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While we can't help you find the perfect playgroup, we can help you get the perfect play costumes. Visit our online shop today to browse our huge inventory of high-quality costumes. Whether your child wants to dress as a mermaid or a soldier, we have the perfect costume for your child.
