How to Raise Creative Kids: 3 Ways Parents Can Nurture Creativity & Imagination at Home by Dr. Lachlan Soper [inactive]

The world can be a magical place for children. While it can seem like some children are born with naturally imaginative minds, creativity is something that can also be taught and nurtured. Parents can create an environment that encourages creative thinking and skills. 

Creativity can be found in many forms such as:

• drawing 
• painting
• reading 
• writing
• dancing
• singing
• playing make-believe

It’s essential for children to learn how to express their creativity. Creative minds may do better in school as well as have a stronger executive functioning ability. Here are three ways to nurture your child’s creativity and imagination:

1. Home is the greatest environment to teach our children the skills they need to flourish in life. This is why to encourage creativity within our children, it is important to value creativity at home and create a nurturing environment. At home, allow your child to freely think and play without having strict rules or judgment. It’s also essential to encourage their creative thinking and play by creating an environment that allows them to explore their ideas and imagination.
   
2. Another way to nurture a child’s creativity is by offering them more opportunities and resources to be creative. Parents can do this by having an assortment of pens, colored pencils, paints, paper and other craft items at their disposal. Or it may be free and easy access to their dolls and soft toys that they have grown up with. If your home is filled with creative resources, then your child will be more likely to explore their creative thinking and ideas. When your child has a creative idea, then they’ll have everything right there to express themselves.
   
3. To inspire them to think creatively, start asking them open-ended questions. This inspires children to start thinking outside the box and imagine the world in new and better ways. Ask them how they can do the same activity but differently, why they do something a certain way, what they find easiest about their favorite activity or even what they find the most challenging. By opening their minds to these types of questions, they’ll be encouraged to explore their way of thinking more creatively.

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