Lets Get Creative!

Many kid’s fill their creative lives with instant enjoyment such as television and video games. Seldom do they have a reason to create something from scratch. So let’s give them one!

Creative Play is what children do when they’re just being children, and there are plenty of things you can do to encourage creative play in your home. Whether it's drawing, painting, cutting, pasting, modelling, making or baking, all kids are partial to being creative if they’re given the chance… and a little encouragement.

There are so many important developmental benefits of creative play too. Painting, drawing, cutting and pasting all help to develop fine motors skills in young children, which in turn helps them to be writing-ready as they near school age. Typically, around the ages of four or five - drawings of faces and people appear. Hilariously for us as parents, pictures of people nearly always start without any body at all - so the arms and legs spring straight out of the head. Your child will love to express themselves and their ideas using crayons, paints, playdough, clay, scissors, glue and paper.

Giving your child time, materials and space to be creative is very important. They like to be spontaneous in their creative play, so it’s good to follow your child’s lead. However, there will also be times when your child wants you to be more involved in guiding the play. By being actively involved, you can develop your child’s skills and understanding even more.

It should be no surprise either that creative activities provide a positive outlet for our kids to express their emotions. Making a range of equipment and materials accessible for your child, means that creative expression becomes as normal as eating breakfast. Give your child the space and time to be creative just because they can. Keep a box full of bits and pieces on hand and try not to stress about the mess!