Families For Life | Nurturing your little Picasso

Does your child love to role-play and write stories? Are they always glued to a sheet of paper, surrounded by coloured pencils and crayons? If you’re reading this article, it looks like you’ve recognised the creative potential in your little one!

Many of us see creativity as a skill, but it’s also the ability for self-expression. By encouraging your child’s creative passions, you’ll also empower them to discover themselves and express who they are inside.

Here are some ways for you to help your child develop their creativity and explore their self-expression!

Give them time to create

It’s not just about getting more play time – it’s about ensuring they have breathing room for a well-balanced, structured life! Extra-curricular classes and enrichment programmes can be beneficial for a child’s growth but too much structure can be suffocating too!

Creativity requires time for exploration, it’s something they need to initiate and discover for themselves. Make room for more unstructured play and let their imagination run wild. You could even turn these moments of downtime into bonding time and come up with some activities to do together!

Keep asking “Why?”

Creativity is driven by curiosity. Encourage your child to ask questions about their surroundings. Respond with thoughtful follow-up questions to help them explore their ideas deeper and make time to find answers together!

Don’t forget that there are no wrong answers! The aim here is to help them build a sense of wonder about the world around them and come up with solutions that will get their creative juices flowing.

Get some open-ended toys!

Open-ended toys are toys that can be played in any way without limitations. Lego bricks and play dough are some examples of open-ended toys that children love!

These toys are great because they let children take the lead and allow unlimited possibilities for play. Every child will interact with these toys in their unique way. Give your little one the freedom to explore (but supervise where necessary) and watch their creativity take off without any guidance!

Fostering your child’s creativity comes with plenty of benefits. While you let their imagination run free, they're also building essential life skills: expressing their thoughts through new vocabulary, learning to share their feelings through art or storytelling, and developing social skills as they create and play with others. It’s a win-win!