Where do you discover new kid-friendly crafts?
Crafting is all about having fun. Therefore, it is very important that a child enjoys the craft he/she is creating. I find kid friendly craft inspiration through playful exploration. A recent activity, a book, a holiday, nature and a child’s interest is what prompts me to discover something that turns into a playful exploration and in turn becomes a craft project. Sometimes, if I am trying to teach something, I may associate a craft with it, which helps a child have a lasting memory and makes the learning process fun.
Then, off course, there’s this thing called the internet that I browse through time to time to find an idea and add my own spin to it to customize to the child’s need.
What's one creative product you would recommend to all moms?
Knowledge and interest are essential elements of creativity. Therefore, in my humble opinion, there cannot be just one product that will flourish creativity for all kids. Parents’ involvement is crucial in a child’s life to instill and find where a child’s true interest lies.
For mom’s with toddlers, pre-schoolers, I would recommend looking around the house to see what can be re-purposed/up cycled. Other products to offer would be crayons, paints, papers, pompoms, buttons, felt, small bells, harmonica, etc. anything those are not too expensive.
As a child grows and shows keen interest on a particular area, parents play an important role to motivate and inspire. Feed and cultivate the interest by providing them whatever needed to flourish the creativity.
How do you encourage your child to explore their creativity?
Creativity has physical, intellectual, and social dimensions, which considerably vary from age to age. My daughter just turned 18 months. As she is exploring the world around her, I stimulate her five senses by offering varieties as she looks (around her, different books), listens(different types, language of music), touches(soft, hard, rough), smells(flowers) and tastes (savory, sweet, pureed, chunky, spicy) both indoor and outdoor.
These days, she likes mimicking and I let her do that. For example, if I am making breakfast, I let her mix pancake dough or something similar for few minutes, or give her some beet juice or turmeric mixed with water to paint on a paper.
As she grows, I want to continue to stimulate her physically, intellectually and socially so that she gain the knowledge appropriate for her age and has a healthy curiosity. A healthy curiosity or interest is an essential element of creativity.
