Let Them Be Creative!

I have heard this several times now, and it makes great sense. Don’t get in the way of a child’s creativity. Allowing creativity to flourish can help kids find themselves in difficult times. We often want our children to color in the lines, not make a mess, clean up, and put everything away. I have heard several child psychologists over the years tell their audiences that kids need places to get dirty, stay dirty, and play without limits—whatever without limits means. The essence is to have someplace where the kids can paint, work with clay, play in the sand, or whatever; it helps unleash their sense of play and creativity.

In our home, we had an old storage room that actually had a drain in the floor. I painted the walls a light blue, and after that my kids would spend hours painting the walls with water. The paint color on the walls was great. When it was wet, it became a darker blue, so my children actually thought they were painting; and when the walls dried, the children started all over again. Water and a paint brush could keep them busy to their hearts’ content. We also used this room to play at a sink with water and bubbles, mop the floor with real water, blow bubbles in the middle of the winter—and more. If you are ever lucky enough to re-do a home, think about adding a little play room with a drain. It is GREAT.

We built a great garage at our lake house and made it a little bit deeper than the length of a car. We added a couple of inexpensive kitchen cabinets and a sink for arts and crafts. In the summertime, the cars come out of the garage and we bring out a kids’ table and chairs. It becomes Play-Doh city so all those nasty pieces of Play-Doh don’t become part of our rugs. Don’t get me wrong, we LOVE Play-Doh; just keep it where it is easy to clean up. We also have an easel and finger paints. The doors are open to the sunshine and we paint away!