Creating Creative Kids

While I was pregnant with my children I did a lot of thinking and dreaming about the type of people I wanted them to be and the qualities they would have. Of course each child is going to set their own course and have their own personalities. However, I knew before their births that I wanted to encourage their development in certain specific ways. Two of the skills (among others) that are very important in my life are creative thinking and problem solving. So naturally I knew very early that I wanted to find ways to foster these skills in my children’s lives.  These are some of the tricks I’ve picked up along the way!

Let them explore.

Although it can be hard for me at times, I place a high value on letting my kids freely explore.  It’s hard because exploration can be messy and inconvenient for us moms.  Also, the ways our children choose to explore can at times seem to go against what is seen as “acceptable.”  But when you think about it, them doing things like unrolling a roll of toilet paper (every once in a while) isn’t that bad!

I’d like to encourage you, and remind myself, to slow down a little and watch your children explore. Instead of redirecting them immediately, watch as they find interesting ways to discover things that we easily overlook. Allowing your children to touch and feel and manipulate things that are both inside and outside your home will help them achieve a broader understanding of the world in general, how things work, and what their bodies are capable of.

Say “Yes, I can do that”!

Another hard one, right? I mean, moms are probably the busiest people in the world! To me, it seems like my kids only need my help when I busy with something.  But here’s the thing… I’m always busy!! I always have the urge to tell me kids to “just go play” so that I can fix dinner. But here’s a little story about one of the times, that I turned off the figurative pot of boiling water to help my son fulfill his creative interest…

Around the end of last year Evan became obsessed with cars and trains and trucks that “hook together.” He started asking me to “hook up” different things that just don’t go together. Sometimes his requests seemed seriously impossible, but still very important to him. So I thought hard about how to help him.

Enter “blue painter’s tape”…  In a rare moment of thinking on my feet, I grabbed a roll of painter’s tape and said “let me try.” And it worked! I used tape to “hook up” whatever it was that he asked for that very first time and he was elated!

When Christmas came around a couple of months later, Santa slipped a new roll of tape into Evan’s stocking and much to everyone’s surprise (except my own) it was a total hit with him!  Santa did well!

Ever since, I’ve been saying “yes I can” while taping various items together on a weekly basis so that I can help Evan fulfill his uniquely creative visions. (If only I could get him to stop asking for “bunny” to be taped to his head.)

So the next time your child asks for something that seems strange, impossible, and/or inconvenient, think about saying “yes I can”! Double check your gut reaction. Do you really need to say “no, go play” when saying “yes” leads to fostering creative problem solving?

Answering “Why?”

My daughter is finally beginning to ask “why”, but my son has been doing it for awhile now. I know this drives some people crazy but I actually don’t mind my kids asking “why.” I mean, yes it can become annoying. But I see it as serving several significant developmental purposes for them.

I believe it starts because they view asking “why” as a way to get my attention and have a conversation with me, which is important! Constant conversation helps them develop vital language skills. But later, those whys turn into true information seeking whys. And because I want to encourage my kids’ curiosities, I try to answer every single “why” to be best of my ability no matter how many times they ask! It’s not always easy.  And yes, my patience runs thin sometimes too! But I know that I will never regret the time I spend explaining the ways of the world to my kids!

I love to continuously add new techniques to my mothering toolbox so please share your own tips on how you keep your kids thinking and acting creatively!