The importance of enhancing your child’s creativity

There is nothing more rewarding for children than to be able to express themselves freely, as any child should. The ability to be express creatively can have a positive impact on your child’s emotional health.

Fostering creativity will not only increase your child’s chances of becoming an artist, but help them on the path to achieving their dreams in life. The ability to express oneself creatively helps teach cognitive skills such as mathematics and scientific thinking. In addition, it involves imagination, basic use of the scientific method and communication. Mary Ann F. Kohl, author of Primary Art: It’s the Process, Not the Product, claims that  “when a child is able to express him/herself freely, he learns to solve problems, think systematically, observe and interpret. Teaching our children to express themselves freely in a creative manner helps their emotional, mental and psychological development”.

3 tips to sparking your child’s creativity:

• Welcome creativity at all times. Encourage and reward your child’s way of thinking even when it may differ from what you are trying to teach them.
• Create opportunities for your child to be able to create by creating an art section in the house. Always ensure arts and crafts are available for your child to be able to build and create, expressing themselves through art.
• Avoid electronics and games as much as possible; allow your child to explore nature, build and participate in sports in order to expand their creativity.

Source: ‘The Creative Family‘ – Soule, Amanda Blake

Image Credit: ShutterStock