How to Nurture Creativity in your Kids
By: Sandy Naidu
As parents, we all enjoy seeing our kids' creativity. Sometimes, kids feel a little shy about expressing their creativity, or they don't know where to start. Don't worry! There are plenty of ways to encourage creativity in your children. As they get used to stretching their wings, they'll also take pride in their accomplishments and creations.
1. Freedom
Allow your child the freedom to express herself. When she feels secure and supported, she will be more likely to be comfortable being herself. Give her materials to play with and allow her to express herself without criticism.
2. Respect
Offer your child respect in whatever they want to try. Help build his confidence in himself. This will make him feel comfortable taking risks and being original. Listen and respect his imagination. If he expresses doubt or seems afraid to try something new, encourage him to tackle an idea from different directions.
3. Appreciate their creativity
Encourage your child to be curious and have a sense of wonder in all around her. Acknowledging and appreciating her attempts at creativity will help her to have the courage to exercise her creativity again and again.
4. Enjoy the creativity!
Have fun with your child! Laugh, play, and create alongside him. Find humor in the world around you. Be silly… it is fun and stimulates creativity. Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself.
5. Enjoy success
Open opportunities for your children to try out new interests, experiences and new things. Maybe they'll want to learn new skills. If they have new ideas, encourage them! When they learn it feels good to be successful, they will continue to be so. When they learn creativity is fun, they will seek out more opportunities to be creative.
6. Model creativity
As a parent, you are a primary role model for your child. Let her see you be creative. It doesn't matter if you dabble in art, in knitting or in the kitchen creating new recipes. She will see you trying new things and venture to try a few things of her own.
7. Detach yourself from the outcome
Don't pin everything on how his projects turn out. His creativity is his own. Be proud of your own creativity, and let him take pride in his. Encourage him to be proud of his work.
8. Focus on achievement, not grades
It is proper to encourage your child to do her best. It is great if she accomplishes her goals. Learning according to the book and getting high grades are not the ultimate goal in life. Imagination is an important part of life and creativity. By allowing her to follow her interests and achieve her goals, her creativity will blossom and help her achieve more in life.
9. Don't worry so much about rules
Enclosing your child within too many rules is stifling and spells death to creativity. Instead, model your values and allow your children to fit their behavior to the values of the family. Creativity will be more likely to flourish when there is some freedom involved.
10. See your child as unique
Have the confidence in your child to be creative. Don't expect him to always follow the crowd. If he expresses himself in an original way, support that. Your child will feel your confidence in him and act accordingly.
Sandy Naidu runs the website – www.printablemathactivities.com">Printable Math Worksheets.
Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com
Joe Caruso a local surfer and father of three - Mason, 4, Tyler, 2, and Noah, 1, was a healthy 42 year old man with complaints of back pain he initially "shrugged off" because he assumed they were related to age. Joe doesn’t smoke and leads an active lifestyle running, surfing and chasing his three young boys! “I figured I was getting older, and I get aches and pains,” he said. “No big deal.”
On Saturday, Dec. 19, his pain became so bad that he admitted himself to the hospital to get an MRI. Joe's MRI revealed he had Stage IV Adenocarcinoma (small cell lung cancer) that had spread to his spine, hip and liver. He started radiation during Christmas week and next week starts chemotherapy.
Joe's friends and family immediately got together to help. "Serious illness can be financially as well as emotionally devastating to families, and our goal is to help in any way to provide some relief to this family," friends wrote in a letter. "The Caruso’s have three young children under the age of 4 and we would like to help Linda and Joe to continue to provide for them. Ideas have ranged from providing meals, play-dates, shopping assistance, emergency babysitting services and monetary donations."
Since Joe is not able to work at this time, they have organized fundraisers, donations, and a fund to help sustain the family by providing relief for medical and basic living expenses during this time of need. They have also established a Facebook Fan Page to keep everyone updated on ways to help and on Joe's courageous battle.
The outpouring of community support has been amazing so far. Please support Joe and his family in any way you can. Big or small, every little bit will help Joe and his family focus on his health and healing.
Events:
Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010 4PM and 6PM
Back Room Pub
999 West Main Road, Middletown, RI
The 4pm seating will be kid friendly and will have tables with paper, crayons, balloons, music and raffles and more. Tickets - $10 per per adult includes the spaghetti dinner, bread, salad and dessert. There is a cash bar. Kids eat free. 100% of the ticket and raffle proceeds will go to the Caruso Family Fund. Tickets are available at Aquidneck Medical Center with nurse Becky DeConto, 787-5184 as well as at the Newport County YMCA with Twice as Nice Director Shannon D'Eremo.
4th Annual Clean Ocean Access Slide-show and Fundraiser
Saturday, Jan 30, 2010, 8PM
Easton's Point Pub
116 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, RI
The 4th annual Clean Ocean Access slide-show and fundraiser party to share the stoke from the previous year and raise funds for this year's goals and objectives. This year the event will raise funds to help out Linda and Joe Caruso as he bravely battles cancer. Tickets are for sale at Easton's Point Pub for $20 includes a great lineup of prizes, photographers and bands. All proceeds go directly to the Caruso family.
Riding the Wave with Joe Caruso Super Bowl Party
Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 5:00pm
Benjamin's Raw Bar
254 Thames Street, Newport
Please join us at Benjamin's Raw Bar to watch the Super Bowl and cheer on Joe Caruso as he rides the wave! $15.00 entry fee will get you a fabulous All American BBQ, cash bar and one complimentary raffle ticket toward prizes that will be drawn each quarter including hoodies, sunglasses, skateboards and more great gear! Additional raffle tickets will be sold for $5.00 each and you will want to get some if you stick around for the last quarter where we will raffle off a new M-10 SURFBOARD!!!!!
More events coming soon!
Make a Donation:
To make a monetary donation by sending a check to:
Linda and Joe Caruso Family Fund,
c/o Bank Newport
10 Washington Square
Newport, RI 02840
Send a donation directly to Munroe Dairy to help out with weekly groceries.
Please send your check with a note to:
Munroe Dairy
151 North Brow Street
East Providence, RI, 02914
Attn. Linda Caruso Account
Click here to become a Fan of the Linda and Joe Caruso Family Fund on Facebook
This weekend a website, www.joecarusofamilyfund.com will be unveiled with calendars, events, notes from Joe and more. Be sure to check it out!
