I’m not a parenting expert nor am I a child psychologist. But I am a creative person and I bring that to the table as I’m raising my daughter. I thought I’d share a few of the things that work for us and maybe you’ll have fun being creative with your kids too. Oh, and her daddy also does these kinds of things and it’s so interesting to see the different way she plays with each of us!
Little H is not quite two yet. Her language skills are still developing but she understands pretty much 100% of what I’m saying. I ask her A LOT of questions in an attempt to get her to notice everyday things.
“Is this banana purple?” I ask.
“No!” she says with a huge smile, she knows I’m being silly.
“Did you see a hippo at the pet store today?”
“No! Bun Buns!”
I’m hoping that in doing this, I’ll get her to think about funny things and things that are outside of the norm and maybe when she’s a bit older she might think about what would happen if we really did see a hippo at the pet store.
Another thing we do is color. We color pretty much everyday – she loves it. While we’re coloring we talk about the pictures. We talk about what’s happening on the pages and we talk about what might happen after that. I guess it’s a sort of simple story development we work on together and while she can’t really say “the dog is going to chase the ball…” she does point, gesture, laugh and giggle at the thought of some of these crazy ideas showing up in her coloring books.
Sometimes we color on blank paper. I ask her what she wants to see and she pretty much always says “Elmo.” So I draw Elmo. Then our dog and our cat and her daddy. I’ll ask her if there should be a sun or a moon in the sky and she will answer. I make it appear. The idea behind this is that I’d like her to see a blank page and imagine what it could become. I’m hoping that once she’s out of the Elmo stage she’ll really put her visual mind and her thought processes together and feel comfortable in bringing her visions to fruition on the page. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
As these games develop over time, I’ll come blog about them. It will be a great way to see how creative things unfold in the mind of a toddler. I hope you do these things with your kiddos and if you do, tell me about it in comments. I’m curious to see how we are similar and where we are different. You might give me some new games to play with little H, that would be fantastic 
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=eafc15d0-180c-4d08-a844-863fc4cd2dfa)
We are an “art project” house too. The kids do some kind of art daily…whether it be crayons, glue, stickers or paint. We have a huge, beat up farmhouse dining table that’s perfect for constant use.
One thing that’s fun to start at 2 is working with those big foam stickers. They sell them in big plastic containers at Michael’s. It’s something different from coloring…great fun…and it’s fabulous for their fine motor development. I didn’t think my daughter could actually peel the paper off the backs at that age but she went wild.
She loves stickers, but we’ve never tried the big foam ones. I’ll be on the lookout for them – thanks for the suggestion!
It sounds like you are doing a great job of helping your daughter understand how to think creatively. Thinking out loud is a great modeling behaviour!
Thanks, I think it’s so important for a little one to learn this way
That’s wonderful. Coloring really does open up a whole new world of whatever you dream. Sadly, mine now thinks coloring is for “babies” . Darn it. I LOVE to color, don’t you?
I think it was right about that age that I started collecting costumes and props for my steamtrunk. By the time he was about four, it looked like an authentic treasure chest, the make believe box. That sure provided lots of insight and fun play. Today, he loves to act.
I do love to color! It’s one of my favorite things we do together. She has a tutu that she loves to wear and she’s just becoming interested in dressing herself so costumes are a great idea. thanks!
I am a creative person but TERRIBLE at inspiring kids. I am so glad we found the preschool my son goes to. Yesterday they made guitars from paper plates, cardboard and rubber bands (it is more the size of a small ukelele) and it is sturdy and really works. He can strum the rubber bands and he walks around with it singing.
A few months ago they made igloo 3-D pictures out of foam bowls and it was awesome.
My son and I do like to do those hidden picture books together though. We take turns finding the hidden items and coloring them in.
Sounds like he’s having a great time! I used to love those hidden picture books when I was a kid too…have to remember those for little H
I’m sure you’re better at inspiring him than you know, he’s picking up all kinds of things from you and stashing them in his mind for later!
Great creative ideas, I love asking questions also. And pointing out everyday things. I need to get my two a coloring book, only sadly I think they may still be more interesting in eating the colors, hmmm.
Creative thought is soo important! Keep up the good work.
Took my 5 yr old to an art fair today & he was asking the artists all kinds of questions. It was very cool to watch those little wheels turning
Each week, I try to do something with my son that’s a special project for $2 or under. I have a few on my primary site, here: http://www.coupongeek.net/search/label/%242%20Tater%20Thursdays. I branched off and posted more of our stories on the “kid’s website.” (Been a little behind on the postings!) But “Tater” is two and can’t get enough of art! It’s soo fun! He uses fingerpaints on canvas, but likes to paint with the stirring stick!
My family members have all asked for “pieces of his art.” Aren’t toddlers fun?!
Excellent ideas! I agree that it’s important to get the brain thinking outside the box. It makes a person WAY more interesting. We do these things with our son, too…but I’m far less cognizant of it. I should keep better tabs; it will help me monitor the results!
These are wonderful ideas. Thank you! I have a son about your daughter’s age. He has no interest in coloring. Do you have any ideas how to get him to enjoy coloring or should I let it go? I love your tips, truly. Thanks!
Hi Shannon! I wouldn’t force it. Not all kids are interested in the same things. There are other ways of encouraging creative thought and play than coloring – like reading, building with blocks, pillows or even plastic containers etc. He’ll develop his interests over time. Thanks for coming by!
Sounds like the story is just as important to Little H as the colors are. This might be a clue that your child is really noticing line — ie story line, as well as the lines your draw. We want to teach kids how to tap into their unique creative strenghts, and have just published a book. New World Kids, the Parent’s Guide to Creative Thinking!