When I came home from work yesterday, my oldest daughter had left me a surprise.
It’s hard to see what each item is, so I will explain.
There is a plate in the middle with her signature dish (a culinary treat that she created 😉 ) a cinnamon carrot.
Above the plate is a card that she made at school for Mother’s day. To the right of the plate is a love note.
To the left of the plate is a glass of water. Beside the water is a rose from the garden and two little crafts that she and her cousin worked on all morning (pieces of nature decorated with beads, paint, glitter, etc.)
I was so touched! I burst into tears.
Yes, this is proud mama having a moment celebrating her child, and most would think, “so, what’s so special?”
I guess it’s just wonderful to know that she loves me. When I was a kid, I used to make little do-dads for people, and my heart overflowed with love for that person as I drew or colored or created.
Albert Einstein is credited for saying, “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”
I think that one of the best ways to promote creativity in our children is through our praise. Our joy at the little things. Our writing posts and journal entries about our children’s accomplishments, no matter how small. We thrive on love.
I remember the day in sixth grade that I stopped drawing. I didn’t get any praise for my artwork, and so I figured that I wasn’t good enough. Bummer, huh! Why I feed off praise, I don’t know, but now at *cough* older than twenty-something, I’m getting better at feeding off of creation and doing rather than opinions.
Later on that day, my daughter beamed as she proudly told me that she hadn’t watched T.V. or had computer time all day. She had spent all of her time creating.
So, I need to continue to encourage creativity, as well as the love of doing. Any thoughts on the best way to help your child nurture creativity? And I don’t just mean artistic creativity either. After all, Einstein wasn’t known for his paintings or dance, but for his ability to creatively look at the world around us and think of physical and mathematical solutions to complex problems. Talk about creativity!
So, my questions for your consideration and input are –
•How do we foster creativity in children?
•Why is it important to do so?
•Can a person be creative in fields other than crafty, craft, crafts 😉 or the Arts?
•How do we teach joy in the doing – or does it just naturally come as a result of hard work?
What do you think?
Tamarack Idea Factory 
Every time I open my mission box, there are all the little things you’ve made for me over the years. 🙂 But you never made me a cinnamon carrot, I feel a bit jipped 😉
Well, those cinnamon carrots are amazing! Come visit and I’ll get a special one from the chef!
Good post however I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic?
I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Bless you!