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Alternative Baby Clothing
Whoever coined the phrase that there is nothing new under the sun was clearly not expecting to see the latest trend in clothing for infants and toddlers. The members of the punk rock generation of the ‘80s are the parents of today and it seems that...
Choosing the Right Camp For Your Kid
Camps have long been a rite of passage for children. It's never too early to research productive and fun activities for our kids. These explorations help develop confidence in our children. Here is a Top 10 checklist to get started. Find...
Obesity Isn’t The Only Problem With Today’s Youth Entertainment
Parents are desperately trying to lure their children away from video games and the TV for fear of obesity. Many children today are substituting good reads for TV remote and game controllers. Cindi Brown, a daycare owner expresses “Children who...
Speaking with Our Children about the Death of Pope John Paul II
Speaking with Our Children about the Death of Pope John Paul II By Lisa M. Hendey “Be not afraid!” – Perhaps these words of advice, given to us by our beloved Pope John Paul II at the beginning of his pontificate in 1978, are the best resource...
The Advent Of Global Pet Recovery
To most of the world, the phrase “global pet recovery” has no meaning, but it should if they are pet owners that take an active interest in the safe return of lost pets. The mistake the pet owners who do know about this phrase make is, they do not...
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Raising Creative Grandchildren
“Where did he come up with that?” Kids often amaze us with their imaginative ideas, and we should give ourselves a pat on the back for playing a role in this development. Innovative thinking is essential for success in school and in life, and it’s our job as parents and grandparents to nurture our kids’ innate desire to be creative. Inventive play fosters original thinking, an asset when children are confronted with new situations. By providing activities that use their creativity and imaginations, we are giving our young ones an important tool to deal with life down the road.
Give them ideas.
Children come up with things to do on their own, but we also need to provide them with new ideas of interesting activities. Think back to what you did as a kid. Did you write a diary, create elaborate puppet shows, or sing and dance for relatives? Share ideas from your own childhood experiences. Offer creative writing ideas like writing an episode for a favorite television show or writing a new ending to a favorite story. Craft projects offer another outlet for inspiring imaginations. Craft kits, especially those from Curiosity Kits and ALEX, offer a wide variety of unusual and fun projects. They’ve brought us a long way from the sock puppets of our youth. These manufacturers offer ideas and supplies to make such things as scrapbooks, powerballs, soaps, candy, sun catchers, dolls, planes, dinosaurs, jewelry treasures, and lots of decorative items. Kids can gather ideas from the instructions, and then give the projects their own unique touches.
Keep ideas fresh.
Pick up any parenting magazine and you’ll find lots of ideas to get those
creative juices flowing in your kids. Search the web and check out craft stores. Keep a journal or file for magazine clippings and ideas as you find them. Stockpile so that you’ll know how to answer the whiny “I’m bored” call from the kids.
Give them freedom.
Once you’ve given the kids some suggestions and supplies, step back and see which they choose and where they go with them. This unstructured play time gives kids an opportunity to stretch their creative muscles. Watch as they incorporate your ideas and branch out on their own.
Set an example.
Chances are, if you are a creative person, your grandchild will be too. You display creativity in your everyday activities like when you reason with a disgruntled child, change lyrics to songs, and maybe even do some interpretive dancing to entertain a toddler. The children see your silliness and it rubs off on them. It’s a great idea to point out to your kids how you use creativity in your daily life.
As parents and grandparents, we always try to do the very best for our kids and provide opportunities that will help them mature into intelligent, capable adults. Nurturing their creative spirits helps them along this road. With their well-developed imaginations, maybe they’ll turn it into a yellow brick, pink polka-dotted road with sparkles!
About the Author
Susan Stump is the mother of two children and the owner of ChildCrafter, Co. - Craft Kits and Subscriptions that Inspire a Child’s Imagination. This work-at-home-mom offers a great selection of creative craft kits from ALEX, Quincrafts, and Curiosity Kits from her catalog and website http://www.childcrafter.com.
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