Creative Ideas to Inspire

Research has shown that participating in art, music, movement and storytelling helps to develop language, mathematics, science and social skills as well as strengthen the synapses between brain cells. At birth, a child has the brain potential to learn any language, learn and appreciate music and movement, and to create visual art. In order to reach full potential, these skills must be encouraged and developed before the age of eight.

Anyone who has ever visited CMoR knows that we strive to make learning fun. Our mission is to inspire children to reach their full potential with the use of hands-on learning and creative activities.

The Children’s Museum is a wonderful learning environment and we encourage our visitors to return as often as possible, however, the creativity doesn’t have to stop at the door.  Here are some ideas to inspire your child at home.

• Next time a temper tantrum rolls around ask your child to express his/her feelings using color and clay. The color allows the child to express their mood while the clay allows him/her to take out some frustration. You might also ask them to name their art in order to help them in language development.
• Introduce your child to word games in order to build their listening, speaking and memory skills. One great game to try is called “Trip Packing.” Your child starts off by saying “We’re going on a trip and we’re packing…” then he/she names an item. You follow by saying his/her item first then adding your own. Continue taking turns adding items until the list is too long to remember.  For an older child, make it more difficult by only allowing them to name items that start with the same letter as their name.
• Instead of simply asking your child about their day, ask them to tell you about it without words. They could use materials such as paint or clay or just use body gestures. This allows the child to be creative and it helps to develop their problem-solving skills.
• When your child wants to paint or draw, instead of always giving them a piece of paper how about giving them something different? Let them paint a milk carton or an old shoe. This will help them to think outside the box and save paper at the same time.

Creativity can happen anytime and in a thousand different ways. Allow your child to see and experience things in a whole new way and remember to visit CMoR for a great time and new ideas.

Caroline is the Marketing Coordinator for the Children's Museum of Richmond