Raising Creative Children @ Artist Babysitting

Raising creative children can be as easy as providing the right atmosphere to ?color outside the lines.?

Raising creative children may be your most rewarding parenting task. Parents can bring out the creativity in their kids, starting at a very young age, by encouraging them to be imaginative, providing the right atmosphere, and setting an example.Instilling creativity in your children doesn?t necessarily mean praising to high heaven every Crayola drawing they knock out at the kitchen table. Praise them, yes, but also ask them if they like what they created and why.

Children tend to stop thinking creatively as soon as they get the positive feedback they?re looking for. Without being negative or critical, lead your child in an exploration of why his drawing is so good, what he could have done differently, and what it would look like in different colors or media.

Here are six ways you can create an atmosphere of creativity for your children.

Have Materials on Hand

Stock up on the basics and be sure you always have a good supply of crayons, markers that work, colored pencils, paper, scissors, glue sticks, watercolors, paintbrushes and clay.

When they go on sale, buy some specialty craft supplies, like pompoms, sequins, pipe cleaners, foam sheets, yarn, stencils and stickers.

Reuse things you might otherwise throw away. Cardboard inserts from shirts, packing materials, fabric scraps, plastic lids, egg cartons and more can be turned into art projects.

Keep your arts and crafts supplies in a spot that?s handy and accessible to your child. Have enough of everything that you child can feel free to make mistakes and start over again.

Design Your Home Around Creativity

Carolina Fernandez, in her book Rocket Mom, suggests keeping easels set up in the garage, just waiting for the moment when your youngster wants to paint a masterpiece. It?s one of her book?s suggestions for how to instill creativity in children.

Make your home a place where children feel comfortable being creative. Let them pound on the piano, color in the family room, hang their drawings on the walls, and make the refrigerator your family?s art museum.

Make art, music, dance and literature easy to find in your home.

Don?t Be Overly Concerned With a Mess

Children who are afraid to make a mess will be less likely to expand their creativity. Short of letting them color on the walls and paint in the carpeted living room, keep in mind that most children?s art supplies do clean up easily. Teach your children early how to prepare a workspace with newspaper and how to clean up after themselves. In between, encourage them to be creative without worrying about messes.

In the bigger picture, this goes for areas outside actual art projects. If you keep a house that?s constantly perfectly neat and tidy, your kids won?t feel as free to create and experiment.

?Color Outside the Lines?

Being creative starts with not being afraid to try new things, creative thinking, and a adventurous mindset and attitude. Set a good example by being creative in the way you dress, act, work and play.

Be spontaneous, laugh loudly, dress up for Halloween, do the unexpected, and let your children see you act a little bit goofy on a regular basis. It will inspire them to be more creative in their everyday lives.

Fill Your Family?s Life With Color

Black, white, gray and beige might be the fashionable colors of today, but they?ll do nothing for the creative spirit of a child. Think creatively when choosing the color of things around you. Buy the bright purple sweater, the cherry red bike helmet, and let your kids choose the most colorful clothes and bedroom wall colors.

Join in On the Fun

When your children are doing an art project, writing a short story and creating in any way, join them. Let your children see you having fun doing creative projects and they?ll learn early that it?s worth the time and effort.

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