Children are often highly imaginative and have great creative potential from an early age. However, this alone is not enough, and it is the responsibility of parents to stimulate and nurture their children’s creativity throughout their development.
Why is it important to develop my child’s creativity and how can it be stimulated?
Why develop your child’s creativity?
Creativity enables people to see the world in a different way and to take a fresh look at their environment. Developing creativity therefore has an impact on different aspects of a child’s personality.
Strengthening identity and self-esteem
Developing your child’s creativity helps them to strengthen their identity. Role-playing is an important part of childhood, and showing originality will help your child to feel unique. As a parent, don’t hesitate to note and encourage your child’s imagination: it will make them proud of their identity, which will boost their self-esteem.
Help them express their emotions and ideas
Communicating emotions and ideas is a social skill that is acquired throughout life. Helping your child to be creative will confront them with these and encourage them to verbalise them.
Encouraging the search for ideas and solutions
Developing your child’s creativity will help them to approach a problem from all possible angles. It will also help them to make original associations and solve complex problems.
Encouraging critical thinking
Encouraging your child to be creative also means helping them to understand what is going to create emotions in them and thus foster the development of their critical thinking skills.
How to develop my child’s creativity
As a parent, you can stimulate and nurture your child’s creativity by adopting a few simple reflexes on a daily basis.
Ask your child for his or her opinion
An excellent way of developing your child’s creativity is to confront them with different analyses. Ask them to give their impressions of what they see, hear or experience, and take the time to give them your point of view and your feelings.
Confront them with new experiences
Encourage your child to be bold and curious! All you have to do is expose them to new experiences: cook with them, let them taste new foods, ask them to help you find your way around during a walk… Use your imagination to encourage them to go beyond their limits!
Let them play freely
Be careful not to try and keep your child occupied all the time, as this could prevent them from using their imagination. So leave them some play time where they can choose the activities they want to do themselves.
See also: How do games help children develop?
Organise cultural activities with them
Exposing your child to art in all its forms is an excellent way of supporting the development of their creativity. Take the time afterwards to discuss it with them, asking them what they liked and didn’t like, what touched them and what they remember.
Read them books
Reading books to your child encourages them to use their imagination to picture the scenes you describe. Take care to modulate your voice from one character to the next, and to use body language as you read.
Read also: Why and how should I read stories to my child?
Reduce the time spent in front of screens
Screens make your child passive and prevent them from developing their creativity. Encourage them to do artistic activities and play outside with their friends instead.
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