Summertime creates more opportunities for children to get creative. With school being out, there’s more time in your kids’ schedule to spend being creative rather than reading textbooks. Your children should be bored sometimes, as it allows them to use their imagination and utilize critical thinking.
Sometimes, they might need a slight nudge in the right direction regarding what activities they choose to do so they aren’t wasting their summer in front of the television or playing games on a screen. Here are some tips you can use to enrich your kids' creative thinking and help them make better use of their time this summer.
1. Do Projects With Them
Kids mimic what their parents do, especially when they are young. Encourage your kids to do crafty projects by doing them alongside them.
Plan some fun activities that spark your kids’ imagination, and have fun doing them, too! Paint a picture, draw with sidewalk chalk, or do some arts and crafts. You will have keepsakes to treasure for years to come and memories to cherish as well.
2. Create a Summer Schedule
Summer schedules are essential in helping your kids know what to do every day. The routine from school days slowly creeps away, and before you know it, you have a lump on the couch that won’t move unless you make them. Summer schedules give your kids an incentive to get up and get moving.
Schedules provide structure and allow the opportunity to plan their days, a great learning experience for teens looking to take control of their schedules. Implementing structure during the summer will make the transition back to school much easier in the Fall.
In addition to chores, teens can add things they want to accomplish before summer ends. They will have fun coming up with their summer bucket list and checking items off as they go. This teaches them time management and how to plan accordingly.
3. Create a Craft Corner
Creating a craft corner will encourage your kids to get more engaged. They will more likely use their arts and crafts by having a designated space. Rather than searching through drawers to find their art supplies, having them in plain sight will make children inclined to use them more often.
Allow them to decorate their room however they want to make it their own. By enabling your child’s creative expression, they can use their imagination to decorate their space. Of course, they should be encouraged to keep their room tidy and their space clear of clutter and distractions. Make their room a safe haven and ensure they have enough area for activities they enjoy.
4. Read Together
Reading transports you to another time and place. Reading to your young children can spark their imaginations and ignite curiosity about the world around them. Reading with children as they grow has a similar effect. Teens can also benefit from reading and learn so much about the world from books.
Reading can also help children healthily escape from reality. Consider starting a summer reading list with your teen, like a mini book club you can bond over. You can share your reading experiences and learn from each other’s interpretations.
5. Encourage Writing
Writing is an essential skill that all children need. Writing can be an excellent source of expression and self-reflection. Teach your child how to write journal entries to get their feelings down on paper. Provide them with journal prompts to get them thinking. Make it fun and add a theme, like a nature journal.
You could also encourage your kids to research community activities and write stories about them. Blogs are available for kids for free on Kidblog and Edublog.
6. Pursue New Interests
Let them find what they love. Encourage them to seek new experiences and opportunities to try something new. Encourage them to take creative risks and branch out from what they already know. Find something new that sparks their interest.
This will make them more well-rounded and teach them that although trying new things can be scary, sometimes it's worth it.
7. Limit Screen Time
Screen time is overwhelmingly taking over our children’s lives. Who are we kidding? It’s taken over ours, too. Limit them so they can more wisely use their time and make better choices. Look up some links about how detrimental screen time can be to children's creativity and how it limits them and their minds when it comes to what they could be exploring outdoors.
Creative Summer
Being creative has a wealth of benefits, including improving cognitive skills. By focusing on creative activities, children can learn self-expression. Creativity can also teach children how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way, which is something everybody could use more of.