The creative seed is planted very early on in a child’s life. The encouragement a child receives can make all the difference in whether or not they explore their own creativity or turn to feel like it is not for them.

This week, we went hands-on with exploring creativity in children by doing various crafts with Meredith’s niece, Claire. For the first activity, they tried to finger paint flowers. Upon getting the paints out, Claire immediately explored the texture of the paints by dipping her fingers in the colors. She went for the orange color and has previously noted that orange is her favorite color. Claire worked on the piece for about three minutes and was eager to show it off when she stated that she was finished.

This is where being an aunt and fostering creativity merge together. Meredith was very encouraging towards Claire’s picture and stated that her face lit up when she was encouraged. She wanted to create more pictures. Instead of being upset about the mess the paints create, or the fact that now all the paint colors were mixed together, encouraging words were offered. By creating this memory, Claire is learning positive experiences when she creates which will strengthen her faith in her future works. 

These creativity activities are fun for children and create lifelong memories with family. It is a fun positive experience that keeps everyone involved. Claire will remember the good times she had with her Aunt Meredith, and Meredith gets to take a break from her daily stressors to be with her niece. By taking time for these positive experiences, it creates more good in day-to-day life.

When creativity and family merge together, it creates a loving and positive environment. The first people that children get exposed to are their families and that can really shape how a child grows. By taking the time to create, and by taking the time to entertain and explore with a child, it can have a huge impact on how they will be comfortable expressing their ideas to the world. Meredith and Claire highly enjoyed the time creating together. The flower activity was super simple and only required a few supplies, we highly recommend trying it with a family member of your own!