My son Noah is a creator. He spends hours every day building with LEGO, and if he ever finds a big empty box, it will surely become a fabulous creation within the day. He disappears into the garage, and I walk out a few hours later to a flurry of mess and mayhem, and I find an amazing invention.
I am obsessed with this boy’s brain and his creativity, and I am so excited that today, to celebrate his 11th birthday, we get to hear from him on the podcast. When I asked him if was interested in being on the show, he responded without hesitation, “Of course I would! It would be an honor!”
He is confident, funny, and a natural born leader, and I know you are going to get a kick out of his personality in this episode, as he teaches us how to encourage creativity in kids. I love him, and I can’t wait for you to learn from him.
1) Give your child access to inspiration. Let them see videos, read books or listen to podcasts about the topics that interest them–battles, vehicles, animals, whatever. As they see that real-world inspiration, they will be more excited to go and create their own versions.
2) Give your child access to materials. This means letting them use empty boxes, water bottles, markers, paper, glue guns, duct tape and more to explore their ideas and get messy. It does drive me crazy when our house is littered with literal garbage for a few days while they enjoy their creation, but it’s worth it in order for them to get to truly feel the fun of creating.
3) Give your child access to space. This can refer to actual physical space–such as pulling your cars out of the garage so they have a large area to build or giving them permission to use the entire basement–and it can also refer to giving them emotional space, by making sure their schedule isn’t too packed with organized activities and making sure they have quiet independent time when they aren’t being entertained by you or watching a screen. Let them be bored! Let them be independent! A child needs physical space and permission to use it AND emotional space in order to create.
>>Are these tips from Noah helpful? What would you add to the takeaways? Tell us in the comments below.
- BetterHelp: Use the code 3in30 to get 10% off your first month of online therapy!
- KidCulture: Go to Kidculture.org/3in30 for a special discount.
-Related Episodes like this one with Alison Faulkner-
- Episode 189: Quiet Time Tips for Families
- Episode 128: How to Get Your Kids to Play Outside and Why it Matters // Angela Hanscom
- Episode 098: How to Hold Space for Your Creativity as a Parent // Lizzy Bergeland
I wanted to give you a sneak-peek of something I’ve been working on this summer behind-the-scenes. Last fall, I launched a nine-month long program called Self-Assured Motherhood, and I was thrilled to have almost 90 women join the program. These amazing mothers spent the last nine months working with me on becoming more confident and content mothers and women. We had nine different monthly topics with masterclasses and coaching and Q&A, and it was absolutely life-changing for them AND for me. One mother sent me an email that said this:
That first round of the Self-Assured Motherhood Program ended in July, and we are gearing up to launch it again in September. So if this is something that piques your interest and you might be interested in joining this year, stay tuned for more information. You’ll be hearing about it on my podcast episodes and in my weekly emails in the coming weeks. I cannot wait to get started with a new group of women, and I’d love for you to be part of it as well!
