Yesterday I was working hard on my to-do list and struggling to meet my goal of starting school at 10. (Yes! 10! So funny right!) I was giving myself a big dose of unhealthy mom guilt as I walked downstairs to my kids. What I saw erased all of that mom guilt in an instant.
All of my sons were creating or watching others write and draw while visiting. My son Sunny, pictured above, was creating a book with both writing and pictures. Although I was not there to be "teacher" my children were learning and "doing school." In moments like this- I truly am thankful for all of the open and free time that my homeschooled children have to explore, imagine, create, and be themselves. This is definitely one of the most important reasons I homeschool- to open up time and space for creativity and imagination.
After having this aha! moment and feeling as though creativity is truly important I decided to look it up. I found that many experts believe that imagination and creativity are not only important but VITAL to success! When you are curious, creative and imaginative you can create solutions, new perspectives, and ideas to make the world a better place.
Here is an imagination quote from a pretty smart guy Albert Einstein:
So how do we foster creativity in our homeschool? I have found that having a spirit of creativity, fun, and "unlimited possibilities" can rub off on my kids. Asking my kids questions about what they think or what they would like to make can spark some creativity and imagination. I play different kinds of music throughout the day to spark different feelings and movements. I sometimes lead by looking up how to draw something online or sit at the piano and tinker around. When I do this, I find that my children start to do the same.
We like to create! Sometimes we make up new games or recipes. I have a few sons who love to create jokes and keep a joke book. Each child is unique and their creativity will come out in different ways. My youngest son has started telling me bedtime stories (instead of the other way around! Kind of nice for a change.) My older sons are learning how to edit and enhance pictures with software. I have another son who likes to work on new cool trampoline flips. The possibilities for creativity are, of course, only limited by your imagination!
The beauty of imagination and creativity is that our children actually take the knowledge and experiences that they have and create solutions, fun and beauty in the world around them. They have fun being themselves. It takes learning to a whole new, beautiful level. It makes learning fun.
How do you encourage creativity and imagination in your homeschool? I would love to hear your tips and ideas! Here is one more quote for you:
