February 18, 2021 – AWE Learning Staff

Are your young learners attending school virtually? Are they attending school in-person with minimal assignments working collaboratively with their peers? While the school day and out-of-school activities look different nowadays due to COVID-19, it is important to spark creativity in your young learners at home. Kids are social individuals and learn through interaction with their peers, currently limited due to the pandemic. Increase opportunities for your kids to think outside of the box, resulting in hearing less of the “I’m bored” statements! This will also give children the chance to use their energy in a productive manner.

Do you read aloud to your child? Or do they have independent reading time? Ask them questions to think creatively about the text, such as:

• How do you think that character is feeling?
• How would you feel if that happened to you?
• What do you think might happen next?
• Would you have ended the story differently?

Thinking about and responding to questions like those listed above makes the child relate to the characters or events in the story, as well as think beyond the text to make predictions.

Provide your young learner with a set of blocks and allow them to build! Will they build a castle? A car? A house? They will engage with their creative side and build something from their imagination. This activity also helps to build their math and spatial skills. During and/or after their construction, ask questions that build spatial relations skills using terms like next to, above, under, and on top.

Tap into their artistic abilities and engage in a craft, this is a great outlet for self-expression. Whether you provide them with crayons, paint, or markers to create a picture, or they start writing and drawing in a journal, these are just a few artistic projects to foster creativity. You can give your early learners a topic or an object to draw, or just draw from their own imagination. Engage in conversation and ask them to tell you about their piece of artwork when it is completed.

Would you prefer to tap into their musical talent? Have a singalong with your young learners. Music is a great way to help children learn their ABC’s, numbers, parts of the body, animal sounds, days of the week, and more! Pair the singing with dancing to include movement, an important component for physical and mental health.

Below are some additional strategies to encourage creativity with your young learners:

• Play with your child but follow their lead.
• Tackle an easy home repair.
• Ask questions that spark their creative side.
  • If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
  • If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
• Have a dance party.
• Go on a nature walk and collect rocks, twigs, flowers, etc.
• Write a story together.
• Give your child an empty box to build something.

Do not let the constant “I’m bored” keep your child from sparking creativity. Use this time to engage in activities that not only keep them busy but keep them learning and building their imagination.