I just did a talk on how to nurture creativity within yourself and with your little ones. It was for a great group of moms who were really keen on getting their kids crafting more (my kind of moms). Creativity is so important and will be more and more in the generations to come as standard employment positions will cease to exist and we’ll need to think more creatively in the job market, or for resources, etc. Being creative to children is so natural. Ken Robinson describes creativity and children so perfectly in his famous quote: “we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it”. It’s important we nurture creativity in our little ones as much as we can and we can do so by encouraging them to think outside of the box, to explore and to use their imaginations. Find a space in your house that you can designate to “creating”. Ikea sells the perfect “craft” table for little ones and let them get started!

For those of you that have kiddies who don’t like to craft, try presenting them with not your “typical” crafting ideas like gluing or painting. Getting a big cardboard box and turning it into a house is a great activity. Not only are they using their creativity to make the house but then it provides hours of entertainment after.

Here are some great crafts, that can also serve as entertainment after!

For your Toddler:

Toddlers love to sort things. This is a great craft because if you pick up a bunch of different coloured button bags from the dollar store, they can sort them into colours first and then pick some to glue onto the box. It also works on their fine motor skills, the sorting and gluing. If you purchase a few boxes that fit into each other this will definitely keep them entertained for a while!

For your Preschooler:

This craft is also very educational as you can teach your child about the life cycle of plants as well. I got this ceramic pot from the dollar store, you can use paints and glitter to decorate, make sure you seal it with something, like Mod Podge, as it will be getting wet from watering (or kept outside). If your plant dies, perhaps an opportunity to also teach them about the life cycle!

For your School Age Child:

Another dollar store gem! You could either turn this into a puzzle, have your older child make it for a younger child. Cut out some shapes for them to trace onto the pieces and then have them use paints or markers to decorate. Or buy some chalkboard paint and turn the pieces into an X&O game. The possibilities are endless.