By: Jordyn Baldwin, Art Teacher
What is creativity? It is the production and use of imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic production.
Children innately possess creativity in a large and endless supply.
I think the first step in helping your child explore and exercise their creative sides would be to find out what “medium” your child finds the most exciting. Is it sculpture, drawing, painting, idea conception, building, performing, singing, writing, coding, computer design… the list is endless! Once you know what their interests are, be proactive is pursuing it with your child.
Provide your child with the resources and space they need to pursue their endeavors. Don’t worry about the mess- it can always be cleaned up! Sit down and build, draw, paint and play with your child. When your child sees you doing this- they will know that their ideas and interests are important. Ask them questions about what they have created and talk through any problems they had during the process. And most important, don’t focus on the end product!
And why should you do any this?
You will be giving your child a chance to visually express what they can not verbally communicate. Children develop their problem solving skills through trial and error. Your child will also learn that there are more than one way to solve a problem. And maybe most importantly, you are giving your child the freedom to create without the pressure of failure.