Where do creative and exciting parents find the time and energy? As parents, most are quick to get caught up in baths and bedtime, appointments and allergies. So, the idea of also injecting some meaningful level of art and culture into our children’s day-to-day just seems impossible. However, practicing creative parenting is much easier than you think.
Using Creative Parenting in the Home Environment
Surrounding our kids with an environment conducive to their potential is simple. Maybe you don’t know a lot about creative parenting, and it’s impossible to know early on if your child might be creative. But making sure the tools are within their reach is all you have to do. Instead of the typical toys or even furniture and TV shows, fill your home with paper, crayons, pencils, clay and blocks.
Instead of a fragile centerpiece, have a bowl of flashcards or miniature toys. These days there are kid-friendly hand tools and washable, non-toxic paints. Every home can make room for your child to discover their own talents or interests. And it’s okay if they do that while you’re cooking dinner.
School All Day Makes Quiet Time Even More Important
To practice creative parenting, keep an eye on the big picture. Socialization is also important for kids. Children spend all day in school or daycare being social, doing what everyone else is doing and staying inside the box. So, it is just as meaningful to spend time in quiet spaces with their own thoughts. And there’s no need to pack your evenings with societal norms, as well.
When the focus on arts and music is less in the typical school curriculum, parents have to find ways to insert those options into their daily lives. So, forget about the starving artist stereotype. Architects are artists are useful in life, too. And art is just as important as algebra.
So, while you may want your kids to contribute to society, you also want them to find happiness. Also, society needs more than accountants, lawyers and physicians.
To grow into healthy adults, kids need to see things differently once in a while. Especially since they will make these choices for their kids one day. Children learn by example, so if you can practice creative parenting, they will do that someday, too.
