1. Allow your child to take the lead during play time
When playing games with your child, allow them to take the imaginative lead. If they want to be a spaceman, then you be the alien! Play along with their ideas with enthusiasm and be a good collaborator. This will help your child to feel comfortable expressing themselves and exploring new ideas.
2. Provide art and craft products to encourage creativity
For your child to give full expression to their creativity, they need the tools to do so. Any house geared up to encourage their child’s creativity should include paints, pencils, crayons, plenty of paper to draw on, and play dough. Art and craft products that many parents find encourage their child’s creativity include dot markers, Little Brian paint sticks, safety scissors, dough cutters, and rolling pins.
3. Give your child space to solve problems independently
As parents, it can be tempting to provide immediate answers to all problems your child brings to you, such as tough homework or how to draw a particular object, such as a tree. Sometimes it can be best to provide an opportunity for your child to think of solutions. For example, you might ask your child: “Hmm, do you have any ideas we can try?” or “what might happen if we do this..”
4. Let your child get dirty now and then
For your child, mud may very well be another type of paint. Playing in the mud, exploring the outdoors, and using the props found outside for creative play can allow your child to freely exercise their imagination. If they know they can get muddy or dirty now and then, they’ll be more comfortable exploring and expanding on their creativity in this way.
5. Read your children books that inspire their imagination
Reading or being read to is a great way of increasing one’s ability to focus, which helps children to become engrossed in creative pursuits. It also introduces your child to fun new concepts, characters, and ideas, that in turn encourages them to think of and imagine new scenarios. Popular books for encouraging creativity include Imagine by Alison Lester, Elmer and Grandpa Eldo, and ART PLAY by Marion Deuchars.
6. Provide props that encourage imaginative games
Educational toys assist your child with engaging in pretend play, which is vital for creativity, language and social development. By providing a prop from a particular career (e.g. firefighter, doctor, engineer, train driver), you can help your child to imagine themselves in a made-up dramatic situation. Educational toys help your child to become fully immersed in a world of their own making.