How to Inspire Creativity in Your Kids
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Creativity and curiosity are the cornerstones of a lifelong love of learning, in my experience. We need to do what we can to encourage those qualities in our children. It can be so easy to get caught up in your everyday curriculum and forget the importance of creativity. If you’re looking for some simple ways to inspire creativity in your kids, try some of these!
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. ~ Albert Einstein
If you’re stuck in a rut and need some new, creative ideas for your homeschool activities, you’re in luck! Today I’m sharing six easy ways to inspire creativity in your kids.
1. Make a Mess
Creativity is often messy, so encouraging your kids to make a mess is another simple way to help them be more creative. Whether you pull out the finger paints during art time or conduct a messy science experiment, having a little messy fun once in a while is an easy way to encourage creativity. In addition to allowing your kids to use their imaginations, allowing your kids to make a mess once in a while can be a freeing way to encourage your kids’ creativity.
2. Get into Nature
Observing the wonders of nature can definitely inspire creativity. Nature sketching, nature journaling, or just seeing the huge palette of the natural world can inspire creative thinking. Make sure your kids spent time outdoors as often as possible. It has health benefits, too!
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~ Albert Einstein
One of Einstein’s greatest sources of inspiration was nature. He reminds us of its power to inspire, inform, and ground us in learning that comes from natural curiosity.
3. Take a Tech Break
Technology is essential in homeschooling, but sometimes it can hinder creativity. Limiting screen time is a surefire way to encourage your children to be more creative.
In addition to allowing your kids to think more freely without endless knowledge and entertainment at their fingertips, instilling screen time limits will also encourage your kids to play freely and use their imaginations on a more regular basis.
Worried that your kids will be bored without technology? Don’t worry! They may be bored for short time, but boredom often causes our children to come up with creative ideas that otherwise would never have come to their minds! As I already mentioned, their creative ideas may be messy, but that’s ok! Prepare yourself for that possibility (and use it as an opportunity to teach your kiddos to clean up after themselves).
On the other hand, technology can also be used creatively, such as creating digital artwork, coding original games and apps, 3D design, and digital music. If your children can learn to employ technology as a tool for creativity, let them!
4. Read Every Day
Books are an easy way to introduce your kids to new places and interesting people, making it simple for them to think creatively on a regular basis. Reading is a great way to help your kids use their imaginations to visualize the characters and events in the stories on top of helping your kids expand their mindsets for future creative play.
In fact, you can even help inspire creativity in your kids by encouraging them to do some of these book-related activities:
- Act out books or poems (or scenes from books).
- Draw a picture of a favorite character from a book.
- Draw a picture of a favorite scene/event from a book.
- Create a diorama related to a book.
- Have one child pretend to be a character from the book. Have another child pretend to be a news reporter. Have the reporter use a cell phone to record an interview of the character.
- Create a travel brochure about the city, state, or country where your book takes place.
- Make a recipe for a dish mentioned in whatever book you’re reading or in a favorite book.
- Try an activity that’s mentioned in the book. (For example, if the book mentions making paper mache, give it a try!)
- Make some fun bookmarks. (Kids will love these Rocket Bookmarks!)
5. Allow Mistakes
Giving your kids the chance to make mistakes will help them hone their creative thinking skills and allow them to let their imaginations run freely. Temper your expectations on your kids’ artwork and craft projects and praise their efforts rather than the outcome.
On top of allowing mistakes, it’s also important to give your kids creative latitude. If they enjoy drawing purple dogs or painting the sky green, allowing your kids to create with their imaginations is a simple way to encourage their creativity.
6. Give Them Space
Make it easy for your kids to be creative by providing them with a space specially designed for creative play. Stock the space with everything your kids need to be creative. Include such things as paint, crayons, markers, paper, scissors, pipe cleaners, beads, and any other art or craft supplies your kids enjoy using. Then, make sure the space is easily accessible so your kids can use it any time they feel a creative urge.
Creativity doesn’t have to be complicated, nor does it require great artistic or musical skill, so don’t be intimidated by it or limited by preconceived ideas of what creativity should be. Your children will reap the benefits of exercising their imaginations and creativity!
Sara Jordan is a homeschooling mom of three creative girls. They believe in literature-rich learning with living books. Relaxed, delight-directed learning is their approach so they follow interests and explore ideas to encourage a lifelong love of learning. Their emphasis is on nurturing creativity, curiosity, character, and connection. Sara is an author/speaker/consultant who loves to inspire other homeschool moms on her blog, Heart and Soul Homeschooling, and with the resources she creates in the Heart and Soul Homeschooling shop. You can find her on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.
Love these tips! Something that hugely impacted my creative confidence was my grandmother’s verbal affirmation. She said, “You guys are so creative” so many times while I was growing up that I just took it for granted that I didn’t need to be intimidated by creative projects.