Creativity with Kids
/As a parent there are many things for which we feel guilt. You name it and there is an opposite opinion telling you why your choice will harm your child. If we listened to all the voices we would go insane. My approach is to learn the facts from what I consider to be reputable sources, try what I feel comfortable with and what feels right, and see how it turns out! Throw in a lot of second guessing, prayer, and some panic and that’s basically my parenting philosophy.
One of those areas for which we can feel guilty is when we consider how to foster creativity in our kids. In some ways the internet is an endless source of ideas in this department. But if we’re not careful we can also heap on more guilt when we constantly compare ourselves to the ideals we see on Pinterest and Instagram. Having 4 children has made it abundantly clear that all children are individuals. Some children you can leave alone for 3 hours and you’ll be amazed at what their natural proclivity toward creativity produces! Other children will not even stand for being alone for 3 minutes, let alone 3 hours. Most of us fall somewhere in between.
One of the “Sewing Camps” that I held for the twins (plus their friend Maya who LOVED to craft!)
Some people assume that because I have a creative business I must have kids that also enjoy creating and working with their hands. Or they assume that I have taught my kids skills like sewing. Truth is, when it comes to my time and my sewing machine, I’m not good at sharing. I think it’s safe to say that all 4 of my girls know the basics of how to sew a straight stitch on the machine. As I reflect on this blogpost I think maybe Lily, my youngest (so of course her life is the hardest), is right. I did spend more time teaching skills to Hayley and Ellen (my oldest(s), twins). We even had a few afternoon “camps” where they sewed a bag or pillow. Heap on the guilt!
One thing that I am a wee bit proud of is the craft kit that I put together one Christmas for Eden. Eden’s challenge is with fine motor skills which made any kind of crafting very frustrating. So I put together a box of crafts to assemble that worked towards her strengths. She could use a glue stick and washi tape and she could color. I made sure all the paper or felt shapes were pre-cut so that she could use her creativity in assembly without becoming frustrated with preparation. I also wanted most of the crafts to be something that she could give to others. There were bookmarks to decorate, snowflake ornaments to make out of Q-tips, and few little burlap owl ornaments to assemble and share. I included blank cards for her to decorate, a wooden birdhouse, and even a jar to decoupage. She no longer has the craft box, but she has recently taken up “bullet journaling” to express her creativity.
The contents of the Craft Box: Basic crafting supplies and embellishments plus prepared kits and instructions for creating projects.
Cute burlap and felt owl ornament
I worked with preschoolers for a number of years and I recall an experienced preschool teacher tell me that children she encounters now do not enter preschool knowing how to use scissors. When she began teaching 40 years ago, they had many more fine motor skills at a younger age. Not to heap on the guilt (!), but as parents we need to be mindful of the huge contribution find motor skills make to brain development. Let’s encourage our preschoolers to use their hands to experiment and play. “Swiping up” doesn’t count!
Eden working on a craft. Pro-Tip: put washi tape into a dispenser for easy use!
Fostering creativity can be difficult, especially if you’re the type of person who likes things to be done precisely, or “the right way.” When your child brings you wonky pictures and crooked popsicle sticks, hold your tongue! That same wise preschool teacher that I mentioned above told me the story of one of her students proudly showing mom her completed craft, only to have mom “adjust” the parts that “weren’t quite right.” Some of my favorite holiday decorations to display each year are crafts that my girls made in Sunday school or preschool. They chastise me for displaying these gaudy, awkward works of art, but they are so special to me. We have one tiny Christmas tree that every year we decorate with such ornaments. It may not be worthy of a magazine spread, but I’m pretty sure Joanna Gaines would approve, nonetheless!
Ellen was born to craft. Here is a doll-sized hair salon she created in a 3 ring binder. It won 1st prize at the local fair. And then she gifted it to Lily for Christmas later that year.
Boredom is a an excellent facilitator of creativity. Leaving unscheduled, unstructured time in our days is almost anathema to Americans, yet this is the margin we all need to reset our brains and our emotions. As we’re still in the midst of this seemingly eternal pandemic, with winter looming ever closer, I anticipate some times of boredom. Despite the whines, I resolve to embrace the boredom as a gift given to each of us, enabling us to explore those oft neglected parts of our brains. And I resolve to be a better “sharer” of my time and talents!
The result of “Pillow Sewing Camp”.