Here at Rinka we are interested in all things active but that doesn’t mean we aren’t big champions of all things creative too. In fact, our classes promote creativity in an active way. It is vitally important for your child to have outlets for their developing personalities and what better way than sticking, painting, gluing and coloring! But how can you help your child develop their creativity at home?
1. Turn off the TV, iPad, Dvd’s and whatever other screens are in their reach
– Don’t get me wrong, this is not a lecture on screentime, we’ve had enough of that before! However, how about turning a time that is standardly TV time into creative time. For example how about the TV doesn’t turn on in your house until after dinner, or perhaps it turns off for an hour before bed? While it may cause upset for the first day or two, your children will very quickly learn that this is routine and will turn to other means of entertaining themselves.
2. Povide them with a designated creative space
– Give your kids an art area. Maybe you have space under the stairs or in their play room, or even at the end of the bed where you could put a table that is always ready for them to be creative. Make it easy to access so as creative time doesn’t become a hassle to arrange. Kids can come and go from it as they please.
3. Keep your creative space well stocked and interesting
– Make sure there is always a supply of colored card, markers and pencils, stickers, googly eyes, stencils, drain pipe cleaners etc in boxes under the table. Any bargain store will have supplies at a great price. Every now and then introduce something new – felt, colouring books, glitter (if you’re feeling patient!!) and keep the area novel.
4. Don’t expect perfection
– Your child’s creation is perfect just the way it is! Remember the aim of this activity is not to perfect their skills but to awaken their imagination and get them away from technology.
5. Join in from time to time
– Take the opportunity to bond with your child and show them how to do things. They will remember special moments spent with you at the table!