In our blog we will highlight the benefits of creative play in early years and give you some easy and fun ideas to ensure your child can get creative!
What are the benefits of creative play?
For a lot of parents, it is a scary thought to open up your cupboard and unleash all of the arts and crafts materials and if often the last resort when thinking of ways to keep your child entertained. However, by letting you child spend time with paints, colouring pens and glues, it can actually have a huge impact on their creativity, curiosity and independence. The formation of skills that they can learn whilst engaging in creative play are the kind of skills that can be applied throughout their entire life.
By allowing your child to spark a love for art and creativity, it will also enable them to:
- Develop their emotional well-being and their confidence
- Help them to promote self-expression and understanding of their world
- Improve their language, social and intellectual development
During the process of creating, it is important to prompt your child to talk about what they are creating from their perspective. This can be done by asking them questions such as ‘tell me about your picture’. You must then positively react to their idea so they know that whatever their idea is, it is fantastic! And remember, the majority of the enjoyment children get will be because of the process of creating, rather than the end result.
Leaf Imprinting
What you’ll need: Paper, leaves from the garden and crayons or pencils.
What you’ll do: Go for a walk in the garden or to the park and collect leaves of various shapes and sizes. Next, lay out some paper on a hard surface, lay out leaves underneath the paper, and get your child to rub the crayons lengthways, creating an imprint of the intricate leaf underneath. After they have finished with the leaf rubbing, they can draw over the top, incorporating the rubbings into their drawings.
Finger Painting and Printing
What you’ll need: Paper (plain paper, old wrapping paper, or newspaper), washable paint, and objects for dipping into paint.
What you’ll do: Lay out the paper on a covered surface, and pop an apron on your little one (or some clothes you don’t mind getting messy). Squeeze some non-toxic paints onto a plate and allow them to dip their fingers and hands in, creating their very own masterpieces!
You could also try gathering building bricks, bubble wrap or any other interesting shaped objects they can dip and print onto the paper. Anything will work if it can be washed or thrown away afterwards.
Tag us in all your children’s creations or other ways you encourage your child’s creativity through arts, crafts, or music on our social media!
