“Where did he come up with that?” Kids often amaze us with their imaginative ideas, and we should give ourselves a pat
on the back for playing a role in this development. Innovative thinking is essential for success in school and in life, and it’
s our job as parents to nurture our kids’ innate desire to be creative. Inventive play fosters original thinking, an asset
when children are confronted with new situations. By providing activities that use their creativity and imaginations, we
are giving our children an important tool to deal with life down the road.

Give them ideas.
Children come up with things to do on their own, but we also need to provide them with new ideas of interesting
activities. Think back to what you did as a kid. Did you write a diary, create elaborate puppet shows, or sing and dance
for relatives? Share ideas from your own childhood experiences. Offer creative writing ideas like writing an episode for a
favorite television show or writing a new ending to a favorite story. Craft projects offer another outlet for inspiring
imaginations. Craft kits, especially those from Curiosity Kits and ALEX, offer a wide variety of unusual and fun projects.
They’ve brought us a long way from the sock puppets of our youth. These manufacturers offer ideas and supplies to
make such things as scrapbooks, powerballs, soaps, candy, sun catchers, dolls, planes, dinosaurs, jewelry treasures,
and lots of decorative items. Kids can gather ideas from the instructions, and then give the projects their own unique
touches.

Keep ideas fresh.
Pick up any parenting magazine and you’ll find lots of ideas to get those creative juices flowing in your kids. Search the
web and check out craft stores. Keep a journal or file for magazine clippings and ideas as you find them. Stockpile so
that you’ll know how to answer the whiny “I’m bored” call from your kids.

Give them freedom.
Once you’ve given your kids some suggestions and supplies, step back and see which they choose and where they go
with them. This unstructured play time gives kids an opportunity to stretch their creative muscles. Watch as they
incorporate your ideas and branch out on their own.

Set an example.
Chances are, if you are a creative person, your child will be too. You display creativity in your everyday activities like
when you reason with a disgruntled child, change lyrics to songs, and maybe even do some interpretive dancing to
entertain a toddler. Your children see your silliness and it rubs off on them. You surely use creativity to juggle your and
your family’s schedules. It’s a great idea to point out to your kids how you use creativity in your daily life.

As parents, we always try to do the very best for our kids and provide opportunities that will help them mature into
intelligent, capable adults. Nurturing their creative spirits helps them along this road. With their well-developed
imaginations, maybe they’ll turn it into a yellow brick, pink polka-dotted road with sparkles!
Susan Stump is the mother of two children and the owner of ChildCrafter, Co. - Craft Kits and Subscriptions
that Inspire a Child’s Imagination. This work-at-home-mom offers a great selection of creative craft kits from
ALEX, Quincrafts, and Curiosity Kits from her catalog and website www.childcrafter.com
PARENTING PAGE ARTICLE:
Raising Creative Kids
By Susan Stump