Creativity for Kids who are not that Creative

Is it possible to inspire creativity in kids who are not really creative?

This is a case study about this very question. My husband is a creative. Apart from being a music producer, he’s also great at making videos and drawing realistic pictures of dinosaurs for the kids. I’m kind of creative. I love graphic design and writing. So as you can imagine, we hope that the kids will follow in our footsteps in some way. Part of the allure of homeschooling is that there is the possibility to deep dive into the interests of our children. But unfortunately, at this stage, the kids are not that into creativity!

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Some ways to inspire creativity in kids

There is no way that I’m going to give up just yet. I have an action plan! Below are some things we are doing and are going to do, in order to get the creative juices flowing.

Let them mess. The creative process is often messy and chaotic. This used to freak me out no end! But luckily I’ve come to terms with it and have been able to give the boys a chance to go wild. And obviously, wild they go! Controlling and policing kids when they are being creative definitely doesn’t work out well. Sometimes the best creations come out of pandemonium.
Let them work in stages. My kids have very short attention spans. They generally get antsy after about 15 minutes. So I’ve started letting them work in stages. They have a break or even go back the next day. It means that they are more likely to complete something. And a project can morph and grow into something different.
Practice makes perfect. Not everybody has a natural talent to be creative. Many people have to learn how to master something. The same definitely goes for children. I try to concentrate on one thing at a time and help my kids to gain confidence.
Let them take a class. As homeschooling parents we often want to do everything ourselves. And we might lack skills in a particular area. Sometimes it’s ok to call in the experts. Munga Punga are offering an amazing 8 week creativity course. Be sure to get their amazing early bird special!
Broaden your idea of creativity. Creativity can be found in so many things. My kids don’t like painting and drawing. And are not into crafts at all. But they like to make videos and take photos. That’s something at least. And we’re trying to encourage them as much as possible.

These are just a few ways we try to encourage creativity in our not-so-creative kids. I would love to hear if you have any more ideas for us.