I totally agree you don’t have to push the creativity. Just listen to their ideas and keep on hand materials to make things. I have adopted this attitude and am amazed at the incredible art work they produce. (I have to say always make the art supplies accessable…not messy ones ha! those need supervision)

I also love the idea of a family drawing time. I have incorporated that into our homeschooling and the kids love that I draw or create with them. Sometimes, I just place an item on the kitchen table (like a seashell) and let them follow mama’s lead and draw it.

We have also incorporated a “nature table” and this is such an awesome thing to have for rocks, pinecones, little critters . yikes, I have written a book.

i absolutely agree with the idea that we don’t need to teach children to be creative. if anything, we need to remind adults that we are ALL creative–created in the image of a creative God. around middle school, so people decide that they aren’t good at art and stop creating–and that is such a shame!

Thanks for showing us this book.

I agree 100% with your sentiment that our children’s imaginations and creativity often get cluttered up by all of the “stuff” in their lives. It’s often a challenge to express this to extended family with their exuberant gift-giving habits. However, my 1 year-old son would rather play with empty milk cartons and cardboard boxes in the recycle box than the battery-operated toys from relatives. my girls, now 6 1/2 and 4 1/2, have more spontaneous, creative, imaginative play with shells we collected at the beach, or scraps of fabric leftover from quilt-making, or a box of window markers, than any “fancy” store-bought plastic toy.

Glad to have found your blog. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ll be back.

There is still plenty of room for play; my 15-month-old spent quite a bit of time today figuring out how to climb up on the couch, sit there all by himself with a pleased look of triumph on his face, and then climb down again. A really good quote I once read is “Play is the work of children.” But it’s not just what it seems . . . if play is the work of children, then I need to be sure that I provide plenty of opportunities for play that is not only engaging, but meaningful . . . not just electronic gadgets (although my children will, of necessity, be tech-literate), but cooking, and exploring our surroundings, and helping to run the family and household. If I’m careful with how I assign tasks and work with the kids, they’re interested and enjoy what they do.

Thanks for the great book recommendation!