Give them ideas.
Children come up with things to do on their own, but we also need
to provide them with new ideas of interesting activities. Think back
to what you did as a kid. Did you write a diary, create elaborate
puppet shows, or sing and dance for relatives? Share ideas from your
own childhood experiences. Offer creative writing ideas like writing
an episode for a favorite television show or writing a new ending
to a favorite story. Craft projects offer another outlet for inspiring
imaginations. Craft kits, especially those from Curiosity Kits and
ALEX, offer a wide variety of unusual and fun projects. They’ve
brought us a long way from the sock puppets of our youth. These manufacturers
offer ideas and supplies to make such things as scrapbooks, powerballs,
soaps, candy, sun catchers, dolls, planes, dinosaurs, jewelry treasures,
and lots of decorative items. Kids can gather ideas from the instructions,
and then give the projects their own unique touches.
Keep ideas fresh.
Pick up any parenting magazine and you’ll find lots of ideas
to get those creative juices flowing in your kids. Search the web
and check out craft stores. Keep a journal or file for magazine clippings
and ideas as you find them. Stockpile so that you’ll know how
to answer the whiny “I’m bored” call from your kids.
Give them freedom.
Once you’ve given your kids some suggestions and supplies, step
back and see which they choose and where they go with them. This unstructured
play time gives kids an opportunity to stretch their creative muscles.
Watch as they incorporate your ideas and branch out on their own.
Set an example.
Chances are, if you are a creative person, your child will be too.
You display creativity in your everyday activities like when you reason
with a disgruntled child, change lyrics to songs, and maybe even do
some interpretive dancing to entertain a toddler. Your children see
your silliness and it rubs off on them. You surely use creativity
to juggle your and your family’s schedules. It’s a great
idea to point out to your kids how you use creativity in your daily
life.
As parents, we always try to do the very best for our kids and provide opportunities that will help them mature into intelligent, capable adults. Nurturing their creative spirits helps them along this road. With their well-developed imaginations, maybe they’ll turn it into a yellow brick, pink polka-dotted road with sparkles!
Susan Stump is the mother of two children and the owner of ChildCrafter,
Co. - Craft Kits and Subscriptions that Inspire a Child’s Imagination.
This work-at-home-mom offers a great selection of creative craft kits
from ALEX, Quincrafts, and Curiosity Kits from her catalog and website
(www.childcrafter.com).
Here you go….. here are some of my favorite Easter crafts and activities to do with my children for the Easter Holidays. Kids love the Holidays for many reasons. But, I like to remind my children that bottom line the Holidays are about "Family". So, remind your [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "20 Egg-sellent Easter Crafts & Activities for Kids", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2008/03/21/20-easter-crafts-and-activities-for-kids/" });
St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th this year which is in another couple of days. In honor of the festivities I thought I would list a tons of super fun crafts to do with your kids to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. So, without further ado….. feast your eyes [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2008/03/14/st-patricks-day-crafts-for-kids/" });
It is December 11th and it is the 8th and final day of Hanukkah 2007. Before Hanukkah was over I wanted to make sure to offer my viewers tons of links to Hanukkah / Chanukah Crafts and Activities to enjoy. Each link takes you to a site that will [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "14 Hanukkah Crafts and Activities to enjoy with your Preschooler", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/12/11/14-hanukkah-crafts-activities-for-preschoolers/" });
I came across this Website today that I just had to share with my Preschool Education Blog viewers. Tiny Prints is donating up to $50,000 this Holiday Season to Children’s Charities. And, they are asking the World Wide Web to help them decide which Children’s Charities a portion [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Tiny Prints - It’s Free. It’s Easy. It’s Charitable!!", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/11/14/tiny-prints-charity/" });
Fall may be a terrific time of year for fun crafts but you don’t want to be so focused on the fun that you forget about the great educational opportunities that the season presents. Sure, it’s great to carve pumpkins and make Thanksgiving turkeys out of construction paper during [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Educational Fall Activities", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/11/07/educational-fall-activities/" });
Do you use the terms “fall” and “autumn” interchangeably? If so, you are just like most other people in America who agree that the two words are meant to mean the same thing (the season that comes after summer and before winter). But there is another school [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How to Explain to your Preschooler if it is Autumn or Fall", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/10/28/how-to-explain-to-preschooler-if-it-is-autumn-or-fall/" });
Fall is a terrific time to incorporate leaf crafts into kids’ daily activities. You can take kids outside to get some fresh air and physical activity while they collect the leaves. Then you can come indoors again and keep them busy with the crafts. Leaf crafts are [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Leaf Crafts for Kids", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/10/21/leaf-crafts-for-kids/" });
Your children are going to inherit the earth that we are living on today so you obviously want it to be as healthy as it can possibly be for them. Although it’s great that you’re doing your part to take care of the environment, it’s equally as [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Teaching your Child about the Environment - Blog Action Day 2007", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/10/15/teaching-your-child-about-the-environment/" });
October just might be the most fun month there is as far as fall preschool themes go. It’s early enough in the year that there are still plenty of outdoor activities that can be done with preschoolers. It’s also early enough in the year that you’re not [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Preschool October Themes - As Fall Continues", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/10/10/preschool-october-themes-as-fall-continues/" });
What better time to teach your child about fall than when we’re right about to enter the midst of it? Fall is a great teaching tool because it applies to so many different areas of life. Not only do kids learn about the seasons, but they also [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How to Teach your Child about Fall", url: "http://www.abchomepreschool.com/PreschoolEducationBlog/2007/10/04/how-to-teach-your-child-about-fall/" });