Encourage You Child to get Creative

Posted : January 12, 2020

With so much pressure on children to perform, study hard and get the right and expected results, it might be a good idea to encourage some creativity at home. With options to suit all tastes, there’s nothing to stop imaginations from running wild and resulting in new designs and constructions.

Stocking up on supplies doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavour either – some paper and a few pens are enough to get imaginations going, with some fun, interesting and amazing results.

Paper, Pens, Pencils and Paint

Colouring pens are universally popular – with kids and their parents – and it’s easy to see why. With minimal preparation your little ones can draw and colour a masterpiece to be proud of. It’s also a worry free activity, particularly if you get easily washable pens. To add a bit of variety, you could try using different coloured paper or magic eraser pens. Younger children will be amazed that pen can be rubbed out, while older kids can use the eraser marker to add some intricate detail to their pictures and designs.

Alternatively, drawing and colouring with pencils is not only a great way to avoid mess, it’s a great way for children to learn about light and shade and how to achieve that. There’s lots of opportunity to learn while being creative – just don’t tell the kids!

Painting is another option for children to put and idea into reality and it doesn’t have to involve lots of organising or worry over the mess they might make! There are so many lovely painting sets available, many of which come with those nice little tightly lidded, mini paint pots. This means there’s no need for mum or dad to find the right pots and pour different colours into each one. Nope, you just pop down a mat, fill one pot with water and let your mini artist get painting.

Warning! Construction Work Ahead

Building blocks and Lego offer another great way for kids to get creative. You could give them a box of blocks to allow construction of pretty much anything they can think of. Or, you could let your children try Lego Friends, Ninjago or one of the Disney Princess ranges and use the pretty easy-to-follow instructions to build a hero, villain or vets surgery. And, if they get a little stuck and need your help then you can either sit down and get building, or encourage them to keep trying and find a way to make it work. After all, patience and perseverance are great skills for kids to learn; Spanx founder Sara Blakeley can vouch for that, as can the inventor of the electric light bulb Thomas Edison!

Either option – freestyle or following instructions – will encourage your kids to create something new. This will not only mean a new plastic brick masterpiece for you, the parents, to look at and praise, but it will give your kids a great sense of achievement and fun too!

So Many Options

There really are! From junk modelling with some old toilet rolls, sticky tape and googly eyes, to a more ambitious plan involving a t-shirt or bag and some glitter glue the options are practically endless!

Your children are sure to find something that interests them and create a picture, model or design that they have not only enjoyed making, but that has actually involved some development and learning without them even realising.

That sounds like a perfect reason to update your craft box with some fresh supplies!