Easy ways to stimulate your child’s creativity

Creativity is more than just child’s play. It’s important for their growth and development. Here renowned South African author and occupational therapist Meg Faure explains why

Let’s fast-forward for a second. Can you imagine what kind of career your child will eventually pursue? From what we know so far, creativity and mental flexibility are one of the essential skills needed for future jobs. No technology or automation will ever be able to adequately replicate the creativity of the human mind, which means that creativity is a critical skill to encourage in our little ones who are going to be future-players.

There are many other reasons to encourage creativity, too. One of the most profound reasons is that when children get creative, they develop a sense of being able to affect their world, which is incredible for building their self-esteem. Creativity challenges your child’s cognitive processes to come up with ideas, solve problems and create something out of nothing. Very often, when little ones are being creative, they are also learning to collaborate and communicate with others - another two important skills.

But how do we ensure that we’re stimulating their creativity? Here’s what we can do to help them become creative contributors to the world:

IN INFANCY: SENSOR-MOTOR PLAY

In the first 18 months, your baby is not developing creativity per se, but is certainly starting to bed down interaction styles that will impact on creativity later. Sensory play, gross motor exploration and confidence to explore her world in a safe space all form the foundation for boundless creativity. Let your baby play with different textures – in ball ponds, kiddies shaving foam and with edible finger paint; create obstacle courses for her to crawl through and encourage her to explore objects, such as pots and pans (once you’ve had your coffee, of course).

18 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS OLD: ENCOURAGE IMAGINARY PLAY

Creativity starts to emerge in earnest from 18 months. As your little one starts to think up ideas and communicate them, he starts to create little ‘stories’ or scenarios using props and cues from the world around him. Your child may say: “You are the bus driver” or “I am a fairy today”, expanding their mind with an imaginary play theme. This is an incredibly important foundation for lifelong creativity.

4-6 YEARS OLD: THE MAGIC OF BOREDOM

When little hands are idle and minds are “bored”, creativity has a chance to shine through. When your child moans about having nothing to do, rather do not occupy them with screens or puzzles, but try to encourage them to get creative and come up with something to do. A nice idea is to offer blocks, Lego, a big cardboard box or arts and crafts, and then watch as they begin to express their inner world. Having a blank slate or open-ended tasks such as these will allow their creativity to blossom.

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