Whilst 2020 has turned out to be ‘the year we stayed at home’, finding new and inspiring ways to encourage creativity with your kids can be a challenge.
Whether it is a lack of new ideas, juggling work and school commitments, or struggling with motivation – there are many valid reasons why it can feel easier to put creativity in the ‘too hard’ basket. For those who feel they are not the creative type themselves, then there’s the added pressure that perhaps we are not doing it correctly.
Local mother of three, Megan Thomas has great advice for those whose children begin to surpass them in the creative areas. Her son Lenny has always had an abundance of passion and energy for any creative pursuit whether it’s writing a musical, poetry or a screen play.
Megan says, “Lenny always has a new idea or project he wants to pursue and we don’t always have the answers he’s looking for but we say ‘let’s do some research’! We just go on the journey with him.”
You might imagine creativity to include activities like painting, putting on a puppet show or making up a funny story – and it does – but there are many other ways to model creative thinking in your daily routines with your child. Experts agree that creative thinking skills are critical, with children who are able to think creatively finding it easier to problem-solve which then plays a significant role in their development throughout education, life and their future career.
Picasso is quoted as saying, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
Time-poor parents can often be the first to stop ideas in their tracks because as adults we see the work involved, or the costs or the amount of clean up. Megan advises, “I think being supportive of all your child’s ideas is key. I am no longer surprised by what’s possible once Lenny has an idea. If there’s a hurdle or problem there’s often many ways to solve it – it’s all a part of the creative process.”
The good news is creativity is not an innate ability. To help you nurture the talents of your mini artist, the team at Frankston Arts Centre has put together a list of simple ideas to model and encourage creative thinking in everyday moments.
8Create stories — go for a walk and encourage your child to collect rocks, flowers, leaves, twigs and other natural items. When you get home, make up a story about the items you collected or create a collage.
When a creative mind is allowed to flourish, and not get hampered by doubts, the possibilities are amplified. Megan’s son, Lenny Thomas, who starred in local productions at Frankston Arts Centre by both PLOS and Panorama Theatre Companies, has also gone on to score parts in professional productions of Priscilla Queens of the Dessert, The Boy from Oz, School of Rock and starred in the recent Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His next stop is Broadway but Lenny’s ambition is to write a musical. And why not?