Fostering creative development in your child can be a fun and beneficial experience for you and your toddler. Children greatly enjoy expressing their creative abilities. According to PBS, helping your child develop creative abilities in the first few years of life will give her the tools she needs later to better express herself emotionally.
Arts and Crafts Activities
Artistic activities can help your child develop creative skills as well as fine motor skills, according to What to Expect. You can engage your toddler in many creative artistic projects. Start with something simple, such as coloring. Provide your child with plenty of paper and crayons or paints in an area where he can safely get messy. If your child doesn't seem interested in coloring or painting, try different activities to encourage artistic creativity such as stringing beads to make necklaces or sculpting with clay. You can show your child the right way to get started, such as how to hold his paintbrush, but allow his creative juices to take over and try not to direct his play.
Music Time
Many small children naturally enjoy music. Encourage your toddler's creative development by letting her play her own musical instruments. You don't have to purchase special toys to do this. Look through your kitchen cabinets for items that would make good drums, for example. Set out a variety of upside-down pots and pans and wooden spoons for your child to make music with.
Let your child make music and play with the instruments in any way she likes without correction. Feel free to play alongside. "Parents" magazine states that children whose parents actively participate in playtime develop larger vocabularies and more flexible thinking skills.
Playing Make Believe
Nurturing your toddler's imagination is key to helping him develop creatively. Fill a toy chest with toys that provide open-ended play, meaning toys that don't serve just one purpose. Choose toys that can be used in a variety of ways, such as plain cups or blocks. Show your child some examples at first, demonstrating how you can use a paper plate as a hat, a fan or even a stop sign. Let your child take over and play with the items in any way he likes.
You can further encourage your child's imagination through dress-up games. Keep a box full of dress-up clothes that your child can use to become a new person during playtime. Choose clothing items that are easy to put on, such as hats and shoes. Helping develop your child's imagination will help him improve his verbal, social and thinking skills.
