How to Encourage Your Child's Creative Side

If you have children you know what I mean when I mention the 'whine of boredom' they all seem to get when they can't find anything to do but watch TV and play video games. And yes, after several hours spent in front of the television, they really do get bored and crave a stimulating activity, one that lets them exercise their creative side. Children are born to be creative, which is why a lot of toddlers have pretend friends or can spend hours feeding mommy play food only they can see from invisible plates. Children ache to have their creative juices flowing. And as parents, we invest in all the latest painting supplies, musical instruments and classes. We teach our kids everything from cheerleading to playing the banjo, its our job to encourage their creativeness. We buy all those interesting and fun toys that supposedly contribute something important to their development, from the time there toddlers until they hit there teen years. And while its true that the toys we purchase for them can in fact help them as they grow, there are lots of toys which provide nothing but play time for our kids.

To help them develop and enhance their problem solving skills, while allowing their creativity to flourish, parents should encourage their children with educational toys. Art supplies, crayons, paints, and clays, are excellent, these provide a creative outlet for self expression. Of course, you'll want to make sure and cover all the furniture with clear plastic before letting them tackle their creative endeavors. Also, teach them to wear 'special' clothing for their artistic escapades. Invest in some colorful smocks which they will love and will protect their clothing from the wear and tear of playtime. When traveling, there are special markers you can buy that have disappearing ink or ones that write on a special type of paper. These are excellent when going on the road with children or when waiting in line at the doctors office, at the grocery store, etc. You can allow them to have fun and not have to worry about them marking on something they shouldn't, as all children do. Give them access to old clothing, makeup and jewelry, for those long afternoons spent playing dress up with friends. Girls love this activity because it allows their creativity to shine through and they have a blast. After their makeovers, a red carpet fashion show is a wonderful way for girls to spend the afternoon together. And if your child is interesting in sewing, she could design and create her own clothing to model during the fashion show for her friends. If she's really creative she could even make some extra money by designing, sewing, modeling and selling some of her own designs. Books or movies are an excellent learning source for kids. They provide ample opportunity for them to use there imagination. After the movie, for an added bonus and a special treat, they can write a book report on what the movie was about and why they enjoyed it. Even adding there own name in place of the starring character. Including what they would have done differently had they, in fact, lived as the starring character. Cooking can be an excellent way for children to learn and be creative. Baking cookies, experimenting with different flavors and spices allows them the opportunity to create their own dishes, and encourages them to try different foods they've created themselves.

Decorating provides an excellent outlet for children to use their creativity. Allow them to have the deciding factor in decorating their rooms, let them pick the paint colors and even to do their own painting. Give them one wall in the family room and let them decorate it any way they choose, allow their originality to shine through. You may not like it, but their only young once and you can always redo it once they've gone away to college. Creating art using sand from the area beach is an interesting, fun way for kids to be creative. Add a few drops of food coloring to sand for a different colored variety. Fill clear plastic bottles with colored sand, add some seashells or whatever else your child feels like using for decoration, with this idea they have created a cherished keepsake momento. Encourage the photographer in your kid by giving them their own digital camera or even a cheap disposable one, encourage them to use it often. And as an added bonus, shopping for a fun array of scrap booking material for them to use in their creativity, provides an interesting day of fun for you and your child. Encouraging them to play a musical instrument enhances their desire to learn. Or turn play with the video camera time into a one of a kind experience, by encouraging them to write and film there own low budget films. Keeping kids busy expanding there knowledge and exercising their creative side, is an ideal way to raise a happy, healthy child. From the day you bring them home, create a warm, nurturing atmosphere in the life of your child, one which encourages their creativity. Creative play is a very important part of childhood. Allow your child to explore their world by playing in the dirt, making mud pies, or just drawing on the sidewalk or driveway with their colored chalk. There only young once, so relax and enjoy it. Don't sweat the small stuff when it comes to your Childs playtime. For more interesting and fun creative ideas that build and grow your Childs creative side visit www.creativechild.com or www.ehow.com