Raising a Poet Who Doesn’t Know It? 5 Ways to Unleash Your Child’s Creativity

Have you ever watched one of those YouTube videos of a kid composing a beautiful piece of music or drawing a masterpiece that is way beyond his years? Perhaps upon seeing such creative magic you thought to yourself, “Hey! I want my child to do that.”

Well, it’s entirely possible that your son or daughter already has similar skills within them. The problem is that they have yet to unleash them. The good news is that it’s never too late to discover your child’s innermost artist, poet, or musician. 

So how do you bring out all that creativity that seems as though it’s been hiding in your kids? Raising children who successfully tap into their creativity is not an easy task, but it can be done. 

Here are 5 tried and true ways to raise children who fully realize their creative potential:

1. Remember that mistakes are not only acceptable, but they are good for the creative process.

Tons of recent research tells us that kids who fear failure are much less likely to think creatively. When your daughter messes up that drawing she’s been laboring over for the past three hours, focus on the process rather than the outcome. Praise the time and effort she has put into her work. The goal is for you to view mistakes as opportunities for growth, rather than failures. Your kids will be the better for it. 

2. Embrace a good mess.

This one is tough. I like a neat and clean space as much as anyone, but sometimes you just gotta let it go. Sometimes when our kids are smack dab in the middle of their creative groove, messes can develop rather quickly. Let them have at it. There will always be time to clean it up later on. The benefits of them fully diving into their creativity far outweigh the temporary inconvenience of a messy mess.

3. Model creativity for your kids.

How do you express your creativity? Is it through your drawing? Your songwriting? Your dancing? Or how about your cooking? The key is to let your children see you expressing yourself through your creativity. Kids who watch their parents participate in creative activities are much more likely to do so themselves. Plus, engaging in a creative activity is a healthy act for folks of all ages. Not only will your kids be inspired to do something creative if they see you do it, but you’ll be well on your way to making a better you.

4. Set aside time for creativity.

Setting aside time specifically for creativity can be difficult, especially for those of us who are working parents. Remember, though, that children tend to thrive when given sufficient unstructured time. This is time when they can build, imagine, experiment, and explore. The good news is that it doesn’t require a ton of time to allow your child his or her creative fix. Thirty minutes after dinner or right before bedtime will often suffice. Just make sure that you allot some time each day for them to do their thing.  

5. Reduce the amount of time spent in front of a screen. 

Ugh. This is definitely one of my biggest pet peeves. I acknowledge that we may never be able to completely remove screen time. But when we realize that time spent watching videos or cartoons is time that our kids are not drawing, painting, or writing a song, we might be inspired to drastically minimize the amount of time they spend staring at the television, tablet, or iPad. Cut out the screen time, and let loose your child’s creative abilities. 

What ideas do you have for unleashing the creativity in your kids? I’d love to hear what has worked for you and your family.