Raising a CREATIVE Kid

Raising a CREATIVE Kid
When Scott and I were in the Sistine Chapel, the art of Michelangelo and Bottichelli took my breath away. The attention to detail, the color, and the time commitment in creating these magnificent frescoes make for an unbelievably beautiful work of art. And Michelangelo climbed up scaffolding and painted flat on his back!

Your child might not be a Michelangelo in the making, but creativity is a gift. Set your child’s imagination free. Bring out creativity with these five tips.

5 Tips to Raise a CREATIVE Kid

1. Embrace the mess.
   Creativity can be really messy! If the disarray of creative projects is overwhelming for you, cover the table with a plastic tablecloth or butcher paper to be disposed of after the project is finished. Jellyroll pans and large serving trays make for great contained paint trays/easels. A plastic tub with warm, soapy water helps with a faster clean-up for paint brushes and other art supplies. Have wipes ready too.
2. Provide supplies.
   Put together an assortment of bins with art supplies: crayons, colored pencils, markers, paint, glue, glue sticks, kid scissors, construction paper. A fun bin to have on hand is a junk bin with assorted buttons, stickers, feathers, as well as odds and ends. A box of musical instruments is terrific for a kid concert.
   When the boys were young, Scott and I refurbished an old tool bench kit for the kids to use as a craft table. We found stools at a discount store. The shelf under the table was used for supplies in labeled plastic bins. As the boys grew, the table was used for model building, scouting merit badge activities, and school projects.
3. Ask questions.
   Before, during, and after the creative session, ask open ended questions. Get your child thinking about what he is making and why. Imagination can be stirred.
4. Allow time.
   Sometimes artist, illustrators, authors and the like need more time to complete a project. Provide a safe place to keep the ongoing project, away from younger siblings and pets.
5. Encourage teamwork.
   Family creative endeavors can be fun for the whole family. Work together to plan a project, with all family members taking part. Make homemade valentines to deliver to neighbors with frosted cut-out cookies. Create a family mural. Write a story about your last family adventure, print the story, and allow everyone to illustrate parts of the book.

Creativity is gift from God, the ultimate Creator of all. Encourage your children use their imaginations and create works of art!

P.S. Tape butcher paper to the underside of a table and let your kids create like Michelangelo. I recommend crayons over paint for this project! Think outside the box when raising a creative kid.

© 2020 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.

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Photo by Calvin Craig on Unsplash