all creators. So it makes sense that within
every person is an enormous capacity for
imagination.
Embrace Boredom
Perhaps one way to begin tapping into
the wellspring of creativity is to embrace
boredom. Author Nancy H. Blakely said:
“It is possible for boredom to deliver
us to our best selves, the ones that
long for risk and illumination and
unspeakable beauty. If we sit still
long enough, we may hear the call
behind boredom. With practice, we
may have the imagination to rise up
from the emptiness and answer.”
Boredom might be a viable home-
school “subject.” But in order for our kids
to grapple successfully with it, we must
equip the environment with creative
choices:
• cookbooks and stock ingredients
• old appliances to be taken apart and
put back together
• art and craft supplies
• experiment books and basic science
equipment
• tools and building materials
We have to be willing to give our kids
freedom, and sometimes (especially with
kids who are addicted to screens or like
to spend the day lapping the block on
their bikes or want to devote every free
minute to their friends), we have to im-
pose the freedom to explore and create.
For many parents, this means letting
go of some things. For example, it’s okay
to let toddlers empty the bottom shelves
of the bookcase. The motor planning and
small discoveries involved in the process
are building creativity and imagination.
We have to let our kids risk some scraped
knees and failed projects and frustration
and disappointment.
An important part of developing creativ-
ity is learning to focus on the process more
than the product. When our kids bring
us their creations, we can ask open-ended
questions such as, “Tell me about the colors
you chose?” or “How did you think of add-
ing grass and sticks to your creation?”
And we should avoid confining questions such as, “What is it?” The answer to
that question is always, “Art!” It doesn’t
have to look like a person or an animal or
a car to be valuable.
Embrace Mistakes
Kids who are afraid to fail are less likely
to be creative. When one of our kids acts
disappointed at making a mistake, we can
help flip the script by asking, “What can
we do to change this outcome?” Mistakes
often produce better outcomes.
A fun homeschool activity that can in-
spire kids to look at failure in a new way
is to study some inventions that were
born out of a “mistake.” Look up the
history of these things to find out how
failures turned into great inventions:
• Post-It® Notes
• Ivory® Soap
• Potato Chips
• The Slinky®
• Penicillin
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• The Pacemaker
• Silly Putty®
• ScotchgardTM
• Plastic
Manage Messes
Let’s face it, creativity can sometimes resemble chaos, and for some parents, this
is especially challenging. But there are
ways to designate creative spaces that can
help keep the chaos under control.
We can assign each kid their own
cookie sheet and require that the mess
stay confined to that space. We can store
newspaper near the art supplies or have a
folding table with sheets and towels designated specifically for protecting surfaces
during messy play and make a rule that
no art happens without a covered surface. We can also designate good clothes
and messy clothes, and then allow them
the freedom to do just about anything in
the messy clothes.
A nail brush and a small bowl can be
stored near the creative area, and we can
teach our kids to scrub their nails when
they’re done being creative. For messy
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
When one of
our kids acts
disappointed
at making a
mistake, we
can help flip
the script by
asking, “What
can we do to
change this
outcome?”
Upper left: As kids learn to grapple with boredom, new interests and creations are born
Lower left: Steampunked Mr. Potato Head:
With some basic art supplies on hand, kids will
find creative outlets
Above: Kitchen Science: experiment books and
basic supplies allow kids a chance to explore
how things work
