Paint, Color, Draw.

You do not have to be an artist to encourage your child to be creative. They’re naturally very creative. Get them coloring books. I encourage you to color with them. They have never seen it done before; they are new to this world. They will learn by watching and mimicking you. How else will they learn?

At around two years old my son asked me to draw Mickey Mouse for him. I did it on large paper and drawing became a project on a weekly basis. We went on to draw many pictures of his favorite Disney characters. Buzz Lightyear, Lightning McQueen, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and many more. He loved putting them up around his playroom. More importantly, he saw the process of drawing it, erasing it, and fixing it. Once it was drawn it then had to be colored. I like to think watching the process has helped him with his patience when doing his work at school. He understands that things do not necessarily happen quickly. It takes focused energy over time and lots of patience.

We continue to paint wooden airplanes, cars, trains, etc. He is getting better and better at it and we can spend an entire afternoon on a weekend, talking, laughing, painting and building toys. This is time to bond. That may not happen if we do not slow down and create.