creativity Archives | VlinderExpressiveArtsTherapy

3 creative activities to do with your child

Oct 30, 2017

Parents often are reluctant to do any creative activities with their children, because they equate creativity with messiness; paint on the carpet and walls, crayons on clothes, Playdoh in hair.

Fortunately, not all creative activities have to be messy. There are a number of iPad apps these days that allow your child to be creative, without any additional equipment or mess. The problem with most of these apps is that they are a solo activity.

Taking part in creative activities with your child is a great way to develop your connection or to reconnect, if you’ve been feeling a little disconnected lately.

Here are some ideas for creative activities that both you and your child will have fun doing (and that you won’t have to spend hours cleaning up!):

Cook a meal or bake something together

Next time you’re cooking dinner, encourage your child to involved, rather than shooing them from the kitchen. Teach them about some different flavour combinations and get them to taste test some different herbs. Ask them what herbs or spices they would like to include in the dish and ask why they think they would taste good together.

Alternatively, you could bake a batch of plain cupcakes and experiment by making each different cupcake a different flavour combination. Berries and mint in one, banana and chocolate in another, lemon and cream cheese in another. Taste-test the different cupcakes and together decide which flavours are the best (and worst!) and discuss why the different flavours work well together, or why they don’t.

Grab an old camera and go exploring together

Exploring the world with an open mind and actively trying to view things from different perspectives is great for cultivating a sense of wonder. Challenge your child to find beauty in the mundane by playing with camera angles, zoom, focus and lighting.

You could print the finished photos and grab some plain wooden frames from your local craft store to frame the best photos. Together, decorate the frames in a way that enhances the beauty of the photographs using whatever craft materials you have around the house.

When looking back at the printed photographs, make sure to ask your child about how they felt during the process of exploring and taking the photos.

Write a letter to the author of their favourite book with ideas for a sequel

This is a great way of encouraging your child to develop new ideas and think laterally – particularly if the book is imaginative and contains “made-up” objects.

Help them write the letter, asking open-ended questions as you go. For example: “Why do you think the author ended the book in the way they did?” or “What do you think happens to the main character next? Why?”

Maybe your child will want to come up with their own new characters to add to the book. Ask them to describe these new characters in detail.

Bonus activity:

We’ve put together an art activity for your child and a question guide for you, to get you started with asking the right questions about your child’s art. It’s the perfect rainy day activity and can help you reconnect with your child.

Pop your name and email address in the box below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox.

What does it mean to be creative?

Oct 23, 2017

We’re conditioned to think that only “creative” people can be creative. That, if we’re terrible at drawing or can’t sing in tune, we’re not creative people. But, believe it or not, there is a lot more to being creative than being a good artist or a fabulous singer.

So, what does it actually mean to be creative?

Oxford Dictionary defines creative as “relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something”. In line with this definition, when you experiment with adding a new herb or spice to your favourite dish, you’re being creative. When you think of a new idea in a business meeting, you’re being creative.

Being creative involves having the ability to see new perspectives and solving an old problem in a new way – as if you are thinking of new ways to reach an existing destination. The ability to see these new perspectives won’t always come to you naturally, so it means challenging yourself to see the world from new angles each and every day. It means asking questions and not simply accepting what you know as “fact”. It means being open to answers you’ve never considered and ideas you’ve never explored.

Being creative can involve fusing two or more completely random ideas to create something you hadn’t previously considered. To do this, you need to approach the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity; you need to always be mindful and aware of what is happening around you.

Creativity isn’t something that only special people are born with. We’re all born with the ability to be creative, but the difference lies in whether you choose to embrace your creativity. Think of creativity like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes. The more you use your creativity, the easier it will be to use it in the future.

Strengthening your creativity “muscle” can positively impact on other areas of your life too, including your work. Yes, even if you work in a totally non-creative, corporate job! Creativity can lead you to develop a solution to a client or customer’s problem that nobody else has thought of. It can lead you to think of a new and improved way of doing an old process.

If you’re in a job that squashes all your creativity it becomes even more important to find a creative outlet outside of work hours. It shouldn’t be yet another chore on your to-do list. Rather, it should be something you love doing and look forward to – such as a salsa dancing class on Thursdays or pottery class on Mondays. Everyone has their own unique creative outlet, so there is no point forcing something that you don’t enjoy just for the sake of it.

Above all, being creative means finding inspiration in the dullest of places. If you encourage yourself to look at mundane things in new ways, you’ll never be bored. Rather, you’ll constantly be exploring new ideas and new perspectives.

So, stop telling yourself that you’re not a creative person. Who cares if your painting looks terrible? Who cares if you can’t play an entire song on the piano? Who cares if you have two left feet and no sense of rhythm? As long as you enjoy doing it, you’re being creative.

How to encourage your child to approach the world with a sense of wonder

Oct 9, 2017

We often describe people as having a “childlike sense of wonder” – but have you ever stopped to think about what this really means?

Having a sense of wonder means you look at concepts in ways that you previously didn’t think was possible. It means exploring different perspectives, asking lots of questions and not simply accepting things as “fact”.

The sad truth is that, while most of us have this sense of wonder as children, it is usually squashed out of us by the time we reach high-school. We’re told to stop imagining, to stop daydreaming, to stop asking questions and to stop talking to our imaginary friends.

However, a sense of wonder is something you should encourage your child to develop and maintain. It can boost their problem solving skills, by encouraging them to think in new ways, even as they grow older.

So, how can you help your child approach the world with a sense of wonder?

Encourage them to think about things in new ways

Spark a sense of wonder by getting your child to look at their surroundings from new perspectives. Always ask them plenty of questions about why things are the way they are.

A great way to do this is to visit a modern art gallery together and observe a few pieces of abstract art. Ask your child what they think the art depicts and what they think the meaning behind the art is. Once you’ve asked them this, ask them to consider that the art has an entirely different meaning or that depicts something completely different.

Encourage them to think about the same piece of artwork in multiple different ways.

Foster a love of books

Reading is a great way to boost the imagination and develop a sense of wonder. Children’s books are particularly good for this, as they tend to explore new, often far-fetched concepts. Dr Seuss books are fantastic for this, as are books that explore common concepts from a different point of view.

Take up photography together

Grab an old camera (or even your iPhone!) and go exploring together – even if just in your own backyard or around the block. Encourage your child to capture the beauty around you from a different perspective to how they would usually see it. Show them how a run-down old building or an old tree stump can become a beautiful piece of art if captured from a new angle.

Ask the right questions

Always ask your child open-ended questions, even when you’re out and about, running errands, or walking down the road together. Ask questions that encourage your child to use their imagination, like:

“Why do you think trees have branches?”
“What if the sky was green?”
“How do you think the tiny ants on the ground see the world?”

Encourage them to ask lots of questions

Children typically ask a lot of questions and it can become a habit to respond with “don’t ask so many questions!”

Instead, we should be encouraging children to ask questions, as this curiosity is a crucial part of exploring the world with a sense of wonder. Learning is one of the best ways to cultivate a sense of wonder – and, naturally, asking questions is an excellent way to learn.

Ultimately, encouraging your child to hold on to their childlike sense of wonder and their innate curiosity is an excellent way to ensure they grow up to be creative, intelligent adults.

Complete our parent and child art activity together