For better or for worse, our kids are always watching, so why not take the opportunity to model what it means to value creative activities and do some with your kids?
For some parents, jumping into creative projects, whether for themselves or their children, can feel like another to-do. Yet, the benefits of regularly flexing your creative muscle are manifold, ranging from a mental health boost to stronger problem-solving skills to improved brain functioning, and pretty much everything in between.
And while there’s little doubt that kids are natural-born creatives with wild and wonderful imaginations, channeling that artistic expression from, say, paint splashes on furniture to something you can stick in a frame takes a little practice. For better or for worse, our kids are always watching us, so why not take the opportunity to model for them what it means to value creative play?
To illustrate that there’s no one way to lean into creativity for yourself and your family, we asked five mothers we admire to weigh in on what a creative practice looks like in their home. Hint: It tends to be about the parent sharing what they love.
1. Tali Roth, on exploring galleries and vintage shops with her sons
My personal interest happens to be intrinsically linked with my career, which is lucky. I am an interior designer with a passion for art, objects, vintage furniture, and architecture.
I make room for my passion on the weekends or when we travel. I try and escape with my husband on an architecture tour or to a gallery, and will bring the kids if it's quick enough and engaging for them.
I take my sons to galleries and to vintage stores, and with my older son, I ask him to take photos of everything he finds beautiful and tell me why. In my experience, kids love contemporary art and often are bewildered by it.
2. Sally King McBride, on seeing creative possibilities everywhere
Sometimes friends assume my home is full of arts and crafts projects given that I make my living as an artist, but it's usually the opposite. I tend to keep my painting time sacred, and really try to let my kids guide themselves—and each other— in their creativity. I read in an old book review that the line between reality and imagination is extremely porous for children. This has always encouraged me to let just about anything in our home be a departure point for creativity: from asking them to invent side-stories from their picture books, to having them pile all the pillows in our apartment into a 'beaver dam' on the couch. It's important to me that my kids witness their parents' ability to harness imagination, joy, and humor.
The line between reality and imagination is extremely porous for children. This has always encouraged me to let just about anything in our home be a departure point for creativity.
3. Neeti Narula, on food as play, adventure, and expression
Even though we do a lot of “creative” play and art stuff, the most creative moments in our household are in the kitchen! I let my son Lokan help me while I prep all our meals. Yes, it absolutely gets messy sometimes, but he loves to do simple tasks like mixing, or helping me tear, or season. I see his creativity and confidence flourish with this too. He also wants to pair certain foods and try different things when we eat! Also,for any parents struggling with getting veggies in, I use this time for low pressure veggies and it works like a charm. Basically, I am very strategic in which foods Lokan gets to help with (veggies) and he tries them all when he’s prepping!
We do daily dance parties. And he does yoga with me, but I teach him the Sanskrit names of poses because it’s my way of being able to share culture and language.
4. Olivia Metzger, on the creative joy of cookie-making
Creativity in our home looks different depending on the day, but it's a big and very necessary part of my own well-being so making time for it is a priority. For myself, I love photography and interiors (and the combination of the two which you can probably deduce from my IG). I'm a homebody by nature so it's important that our space feels cozy, uncluttered, and comfortable. Styling our home is one of my favorite creative outlets.
As I've become more familiar with baking over the years, I've found a lot of creative satisfaction in the process of using my hands and making something both beautiful and delicious.
When I want to include the kids and do something other than craft or draw, we bake. Their favorite is always sugar cookies because cutting them out and decorating them is so fun. As I've become more familiar with baking over the years, I've found a lot of creative satisfaction in the process of using my hands and making something both beautiful and delicious.
5. Sweta Doshi, on not overthinking it
I never thought of myself as "creative" until very recently. That word took on a very specific meaning to me, and I don't have a specific skill (art, music, etc.) that I've honed over the years. However, I've come to realize that I am very creative in many everyday aspects of my life, and I can draw lines back to my imaginative childhood.
In my house now (and during my own childhood), creativity most often looks like a lot of unstructured free play time. My kids thrive in those hours where they are engaging in imaginative play, building forts, and constructing with magna-tiles and Legos, and I try to encourage that. I try to expose them to different creative outlets, but let them take the lead on how much they want to pursue those things. I find that they are often best expressed during their free play time. At some point, I will want them to choose some passions and stick with them. But for now, I want them to see that they can be creative and imaginative across all aspects of life.
Read More:
How to Find a Creative Hobby That Inspires and Fulfills You
Editor’s note: A version of this story was first published in 2021.
