Generation NeXt Parenting

Get Creative...

God made mud, so He must enjoy a mess once in a while! Children too should be allowed to get a little messy. Create an “art zone” in your home that provides your child with a constant opportunity to create and explore. Cover the floor with a shower curtain and provide a variety of fun (even untidy) materials, then allow time for free exploration.
Don’t fall in the ‘Have fun, but don’t make a mess’ trap.
“It’s as though clean hands and clean clothes were more important than the great adventure of learning hands-on,” says Clark.

Of course, giving your child freedom to explore doesn’t mean there are no rules. Provide basic ones such as, “Supplies must be cleaned and put away when you’re finished,” and “Artwork must be dry before leaving the art area.”

Also, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on art supplies. Be creative and scour your home instead. My kids’ craft treasures include:

Old shirts for smocks
Shower curtains for drop cloths
Magazines
Safety scissors
Broken crayons (So they don’t have to worry about breaking them!)
Notebooks and sketchpads
Construction Paper
Clothes Pins
Scrap Cloth
Paint brushes
Glue
Lunch bags
Yarn
Empty food cartons
Colored pencils
Photographs
Popsicle sticks
Tissue paper
Cotton Balls
Paint
Newspapers
Twist ties
And whatever else you can find!

“Children are born with an inquiring mind, full of curiosity,” says Yew Kam Keong, author of You’re Creative-Let Your Creativity Bloom. “Their creativity knows no bounds as they explore and fantasize. And according to the great scientist Albert Einstein, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ ” Don’t you agree?

posted by Tricia Goyer @ 8:26 AM