Create Opportunities
Creativity sparks the imagination. When you are feeling stressed out, doing something creative calms your mind and changes your focus.
It’s important to keep creativity as part of your relationships (romantic and otherwise.) Remember to foster creativity in your children because it gives them an outlet for their stress and teaches them how to work though the times.
HOW TO ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY
1. Do not label your child as creative or uncreative. Labels bring more stress which defeats the purpose of being creative in the first place. Also, if you tell a child they are not creative, they grow up believing they cannot create anything. Every child is an artist in their own way.
2. Remember that no idea is a bad idea. I’m not saying that you should allow them to do unsafe things, but you could tell them it’s unsafe and help them figure out how to tweak it to make it safe or encourage them to come up with another solution. Do not laugh at them or make snide remarks. Instead, celebrate the fact that they came up with their own idea.
3. Give them the gift of independence. Stand back and allow them the freedom to do things on their own. Do not discourage them from trying. Instead, be amazed by all they can do on their own.
4. Allow them to keep practicing. Nobody is perfect. Failure helps us learn from our mistakes. If they fail, ask what they think went wrong and what they can do to make it work the next time. Then encourage them to try again.
5. Keep it simple. Remember their ages and make sure you aren’t putting too much pressure on them. Have fun with it. Creativity is about letting go so you can find your flow.
6. Give them plenty of opportunities to be creative. Teach them how to make a game out of the opportunities around them. Give them a bag full of recycling and see what they can make out of it. Break out the sidewalk chalk. Do you have older children? Have a cooking contest. Pull out some old photos and have them make a collage. Have a painting party. Make videos and upload them to social media. Start the spark and watch them take off with the idea.
7. Find creative solutions to problems. Teach them how to find multiple solutions to a specific problem. Teach them to be curious and how to think on their own. When you provide the solutions for them, they don’t learn. But if you teach them different ways to solve problems, they will find it easier to move past obstacles thrown in their path.
When you stand back and allow them to steer through their own life, they learn to navigate the twists and turns that life’s roads give them. Teach them how to fly, allow them to try, and then stand back and watch them soar!
