Creative Pursuits for Kids:

Life has become way too strained, zippy and it reflects in our various day to day actions and reactions. A few days before, my 4year old son informed me about a health workshop being conducted in school for parents. I looked for diary note or any announcement on the school website, but couldn’t find any. That was a surprise as almost all things used to be pre-informed to the parents.

The next day, at the dispersal time, I met the teacher and enquired her of the same. All I could see was her excited face, that the child is coming back and informing you the things which were just told once in the class. She was so happy, that children usually don’t discuss school happenings with parents and this was one such point which made her pretty excited.

For me, well, it wasn’t something unique as Arham usually discussed his school happenings at home. But I recalled, the other day when I was hearing from a mom, how her kid comes home anxious and overwhelmed for most of the time. The confusion was all around how to calm down kids and get them into a conversation mode, in a creative way.

Do kids get Stressed?

Yes Kids definitely get stressed. Honestly speaking, even my son comes back overtly active, jumping all around and at times a lot overwhelmed. But, is there any need to Question them outrightly about their day at school and various happenings? No, I don’t feel so. I’m simply done with a single question, How was your day? To which the answer usually is “Good Mama”. And I end it there.

Kids need a refreshing bath and a good snack/lunch when they return. Trying to retrieve the details will only infuriate them and you’ll bear their agony. It’s more of a time to help them calm down, relax, and indulge in their creative pursuit. Take it in the form, when you return from office after a hectic day, you don’t want to be questioned. You want some calm moments before you open up to your children or partner. Right?

How do I engage with my child after he is back from school?

So is with kids! For me, the best ways to calm him down and start the conversation begins after a hearty snack/lunch. Usually, we go for small storytelling or we indulge in some art & craft. Not those lengthy ones, but simple ones, around which I weave a small story and we start our conversations.

Read: Best Story books teaching Moral values for Kids

A simple freehand painting, finger painting, or an easy Origami butterfly craft also do the wonders.

When the weather is beautiful in the afternoon, we usually spend some time between plants and flowers. Nature is a magnificent soother and healer. As we embark on our creativity, lots and lots of discussions begin. Some even as old as 2-3 months, which he recalls. Not at all forced, but everything, right from friends deeds to interesting games, everything unfolds in such a natural way.

I feel that crafts, paintings, stories, Nature are great stress busters. They not just enhance kids imaginations but also helps them relate things in the real world. These activities somehow spread positive energy.

I had penned down ways to foster creativity in Kids,  you can read this article here. It has all practical ways, which I have been using and which have cumulatively worked wonders for me, in our day to day life.

How to engage Kids creatively?

If you find that time just after school is not right to engage in creative activities, then try to make a schedule and daily devote at least 45min to an hour in such creative endeavors.

• Start with easy crafts, related to things your kids love. if they love Animals, then making Origami Animal bookmarks can be an interesting start.
• If they simply love getting messy with colors, you can think of colorful slime, shave foam or just colorful paintings (Leaf or thumb painting)
• Crafting should not be a stand-alone activity. Suppose you along with kids did a simple papercraft of making an Eagle, help them know at-least 5 sentences about an eagle. This will, in turn, enhance kids knowledge in a very fun way.
• If kids love to spend time in Garden, try to inculcate Gardening in their daily routine. It not just helps them be closer to nature, but also helps in their holistic development. You can read more about gardening and kids here.
• Story Books, need to be a part of kids daily routine, involve kids also in storytelling. Well, it is all about emotions and how you beautifully you express it. Kids enjoy them and once it’s done, you can involve kids in various conversations.

The crux of this post is to involve kids in creative endeavors, which helps them relieve their stress and open up easily with parents. As parents, it is very important for us to know about our kid’s friend circle, a few of their discussions, the way things are being dealt with in school. Children get influenced a lot from friends and overall school environment and their opening up is very important for us to understand their anxiety and various transformations!

Take a step towards positive parenting!