Bring out your child’s creativity

According to experts, we can just as easily inhibit as inspire development and expression of creativity in young children. So here are a few simple ways you can encourage the creativity of your little one.

1. Let your child explore and play without undue restraints. The atmosphere should reflect your own encouragement and acceptance of mistakes, risk-taking, innovation and uniqueness, along with a natural degree of mess/noise.
2. Embrace your child's ideas and attempts at problem solving, however unusual. Respect their efforts and let them know you have confidence in their ability to do well.
3. Creativity does not follow the clock. Children need extended, unhurried time to explore if they are to do their best work. Encourage your child to pursue every possibility.
4. Expose your child to a diversity of cultures, experiences, people and ways of thinking. Introduce them to different ways of approaching a problem.
5. Keep it simple and fun.  Art, music, drama, collage and puppetry are all creative activities, and ones that can easily and affordably be done by you and your child together at home.