What’s a common challenge you have with your child as a parent?

Is it getting them to focus?

Understanding quiet time?

Maybe, it’s comprehending the concept of time, math, or reading?

If you’re reading this, you are likely having trouble with one of the above.

You are probably somewhat aware of the impact that cartoons can have on your kid’s mood.

For example: Jimmy was misbehaving, so you took away his gaming system. In return, he acts out in school.

Or maybe you reduced Brittany’s time on YouTube to curb her sleeping difficulty. In return, she throws a temper tantrum.

Research has shown that:

“...with youngsters aged 5-15 spending around 15 hours each week online….Even preschoolers, aged 3-4, are spending eight hours and 18 minutes a week online, up to an hour and half to six hours 48 minutes in the last year.” - Ofcom.org

Allowing too much screen time can hinder the development of your child’s abilities and skills; such as the ability to focus, to concentrate, to give attention, being able to communicate effectively and sense people’s moods, and build a strong vocabulary.

From imaginary friends to creating their own superpowers, the mind of a child is constantly spinning with creative ideas. This means you’ve got your hands full as a parent.

Your kid’s ability to express themselves creatively has a major impact on their interest in learning math, managing their coordination, and developing social skills.

This means it’s time to find more creative ideas that you can participate in too! Wouldn’t it be great if these activities that were both simple and effective?

Do you want to introduce your child to the artistic and possibilities of the world?

Maybe you’d like to awaken an interest in the creative professions.

In this article, we’ll share 5 tips that will engage help engage your child in artistic and creative ways.

But first, here are some of the benefits of implementing art into their lives:

An opportunity to express their emotions in a healthy way
Opens their mind to think outside of the box
Makes learning new concepts fun!
Development in motor skills and language
An increase in culture awareness

5 Fundo-Mental Art and Creativity Tips for Parents

1. Put yourself in your child’s shoes

Try to think back when you were a child.

You are probably thinking, “I was a child?”. Yes you were!

Take a break from thinking about bills and budgets, and think about toys and games.

Become carefree for a moment each day to relate to your child. Let your creativity and imagination reign free. This will help you understand your child more and help them see that you were once a child and understand them.It will build a closer bond and open the doors of communication. One way to put yourself in your child’s shoes is to ask your child about their imaginary friend and describe them. Have them draw it out for you. This can be beneficial for opening your own imagination.

2. Encourage a vast imagination

“The only limit to success is your own imagination.”

-Shonda Rhimes

Guide their process, by showing them examples of things to create. Allow them to pick out a project to complete. For example, make a new song or remix a song with your child

When it comes time to create, play an assisting role.

Do help, but avoid taming their ideas. This will help you learn more about their likes, and help to build your relationship with your child. If you find your child likes a certain type of song, provide them with references on the instruments used to build the song. This will build a foundation of music, and a knowledge base to build upon. Instead of limiting their ideas, help to encourage them. No matter how good they are at first, make sure they know you support and love them.

Another example: Make a story with your child. Start by writing a story about their day.

This can be done through writing, drawing, singing. This will help your child practice executing their ideas.

3. Mix-up Colors

The field of color science is a specialized field that we don’t always think of as a profession. Help your child learn about colors and the color wheel. You can buy paint and create a vast number of colors. This can help them keep interested in art as a whole. This opens their mind to vast possibilities and lets them know, our world is ever-changing. Seeing that one color can be completely changed by mixing another is a simple way of showing how science works in a visual way. Art is both imagination and experimentation.

4. Recreating a Masterpiece

Follow the path of a famous artist, someone liker Ernie Barnes, Frida Kahlo, or Picasso.

Depending on your budget and preference, this can be done on a variety of canvas. Using a canvas and paint brushes or paper and crayons. child mimic their artstyle or re-create their work. This can inspire them by seeing that they can be as amazing as famous artist that have came before them.

5. Prepare for anything and everything

While using the other tips provided, remember anything and everything might/will occur. So to prevent your expensive furniture or etc. getting messed up, neighbors complaining, or anything of the sorts, make a area that prones creativity and imagination. A suggestion is to get a use an already messy/old room, covering important stuff with plastic or old sheets, finding a location that no limits on how loud you can be, and lastly keep an open mind.

Key Takeaways

To infuse art and creativity into your child’s education, you should:

Become the child that you used to be. Learn to think carefree and with your imagination. The greatest tool ever given to us human beings is, the imagination. Inspire your childs and do not attempt to constrain and restrain their imagination. Mixing colors could be a helpful activity to help them see past the ordinary colors they see; but open their eyes to a vast number of colors. Look at the work and lives of famous artists as the path of creativity. Let your child see where their imagination can take them. Lastly, make sure you are ready for a mess that can follow. Try to prepare an area that can inspire and help nurture their ideas.