Encourage "possibility thinking"
When parents pose the question "What if?" in as many ways as possible, they help children naturally think of creative possibilities. This involves a shift from more traditional approaches that encourage children to ask, “What is this and what does it do?" to "What can I do with this?"
Nurture your child's interests
Creativity blossoms when children feel invigorated by activities they enjoy. Allow them to choose their after-school activities. Encourage them to more deeply explore those activities in essays and projects at school. For example, if your child loves playing flute, encourage him to write a paper on the history of flute playing or the mechanics of flute building as a school project.
Expand language of imagination
Being able to understand and describe emotions is critical to the creative process. Dr. Brenna Hicks explains how to develop an emotional vocabulary at home so your child can identify and put their feelings into words.
Play, play, play!
Through imaginative play, children explore their ideas and create meaning about the world around them. Read parenting expert Katie Hurley’s excellent article, The Benefits of Play are “Oh, so Big!” where she shares a poignant story of how creative play helped her daughter conqueror her fear of the dark.
