Nurture your child's creative spirit



How to encourage you child to think outside the box

"Stay inside the lines."

It was a mantra taught over and over a generation ago. Today, scribbles and swirls and zig-zags are considered an important part of artistic expression. Allowing children to express themselves creatively – coloring outside the lines – can be a major part of development.

 

Creativity is natural in children. Watch a toddler fingerpaint or an infant make sounds or a preschooler dance around the living room – they express themselves with abandon. As a parent, you have the power to nurture that creative spirit or stifle it.

 
The teaching style that will work best for your child.

“In young children, creativity is best supported and nurtured through play,” says Kelleigh McKenzie, director of Mid-Hudson Music Together. “A child immersed in a rich, stimulating environment free of any specific direction or restriction is able to engage and explore using his own learning style.”