Children are naturally creative and supporting this will help develop their confidence and social skills to carry them through life. There are endless opportunities to nurture their imaginations and give them the freedom to explore their curiosity.
Encourage Problem Solving
When you solve problems for a child, all they learn is that you are better at it than them. Encourage children to think independently by not offering the answer or completing the activity for them. Instead, ask them what he or she thinks and praise their ideas as you support them in deciding on a solution.
Furthermore, allow children to get bored! Boredom is a brilliant way of sparking creativity as they learn to think critically about what they can do to entertain themselves. Support this by sometimes not planning activities for them to do.
Sensory and Messy Play
The ideas are limitless for sensory and messy play activities, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
Why not get outside in all weather to explore the local environment? Take some muddy boots for jumping in puddles and encourage children to collect rocks, leaves, and flowers to create a pretty picture when you get back home.
You could also set up some activities inside or in your garden that encourages their wild imaginations. Why not set up a messy food station with rainbow spaghetti to press their toes in or baked beans to squeeze with their hands? They can then wash off with some water play afterward too!
Develop Creative Thought
To encourage creative thinking, you can start by asking your children questions to get their ideas flowing, such as:
“If you could have one superpower, what would it be?”
“If this cardboard box was a plane, where would you fly to?”
“This toy is on the floor, where could we put it instead?”
You could also try making suggestions for ways they could play with toys in a different way. Many toys can be played in several ways such as Lego, magnets, and building blocks. Why not think further out of the box by doing a color hunt and create a rainbow out of colored items from around the house? It will allow your child to think in their individual way and be proud of creating something.
If you have any educational questions, here at Country Club Montessori, of Mansfield, Texas, we will be glad to assist you in any way we can. Please contact us by phone at 817-473-8585, if you have any questions about how we can support you and your child’s learning.
