Creative connection benefits families is so many powerful ways! Learn how these favorite creative bloggers use creativity and connection in their families.
Creative connection has a powerful effect on family life as well as on long-term creativity and self-confidence.
Connection fosters creativity.
And creativity fosters connection.
Both are important tools in the parenting toolkit and used in tandem can have an incredible synergistic effect.
In other words, creative connection has amazing power!
I asked some of my favorite bloggers to answer this question:
WHY do you believe it is important to connect with your kids through creativity?
This post is full of their answers, which are wonderful testaments to the power of creative connection.
Later this week I’ll share their top favorite creative activities for connecting through creativity!
Creative Connection Allows for Learning Opportunities
Leslie, Pink Stripey Socks
“Being creative with my kids allows me to create memories and build relationships. Our lives feel so hectic. I always feel the need to run from one activity to another. Carving out space to create, imagine, and play reminds me to take a breather and enjoy this short-lived time called childhood.
Plus, my son seems to think I (as the adult) should always have the answer, be correct, or do things the “right way.” When we try something new together, we often mess up together and learn something new together. It’s a good reminder for us both that learning is a lifelong process and that we should always (no matter what age) be open to following our curiosity.” – Leslie
Creative Activities Help Us De-Stress
Kate, Picklebums
“Staying connected to my kids is the best parenting tool I know. It’s important when things are going ok, and really, really, important when things are tough. Doing something creative together is a great way to de-stress, reconnect and just enjoy each other’s company.“ – Kate
Creative Connection Bonds Us
Ana Dziengel, Babble Dabble Do
“I believe that joyful experiences foster family bonds. The best childhood memories are those of laughing and playing together as a family and creative projects afford families the perfect opportunity to have fun together.
We aim to do one creative project a week as family; sometimes outside commitments derail that but I try to have that as a goal. This weekly habit has helped my kids get used to trying new things and experimenting and also allows us all to work together as a family.” – Ana Dziengel
To Read :: 5 Easy Ways to Find Time for Family Creativity
Creativity Connects Us with Ourselves
Meri Cherry, Meri Cherry
“I think creativity at its core is all about making connections, either with ourselves, our ideas, or those around us. The very act of making allows for a different kind of freedom that can connect us to who we truly are.” – Meri Cherry
Creative Activities Enable a Flow State
Rachelle Doorley, TinkerLab
“Through activities that elicit creative thinking skills, we tap into curiosities, problem solve, invent, tinker, iterate, overcome challenges, and ask important questions. It’s a gift to spend time with my children when they’re in a space of creative exploration because I get a glimpse of what makes their souls spark, how their minds work, and what charges their emotional batteries. In a nutshell, these moments provide me with an opportunity to deeply understand my children and connect with them emotionally.
Oftentimes ideas take time to evolve, come to light, and work themselves out, so it’s always the best when we have nothing on the agenda and can spend unlimited time tinkering and playing with materials. In these magical moments, I love to witness my children enter a state of flow where they become completely immersed in a personal challenge, lose track of time, and push themselves into brave new territory.” – Rachelle Doorley
To Read :: Finding Flow: A Journey Toward Happiness
Creative Connection Helps Us Slow Down
Zina Harrington, Becoming UnBusy
“There are many excellent ways to connect with our kids: playing basketball, watching a documentary, playing a board game. However, working with your kids on a creative project allows you to slow down and say ‘I see you.’ Picking projects that focus on an art process (instead of a final result) opens the door to experimenting, laughter, and fun. The conversations that unfold are invaluable.” – Zina Harrington
To Read :: Knowledge Is Not Enough for Our Kids to Succeed in Tomorrow’s World
Creative Activities Let You Play Like a Kid
Jeanette Nyberg, Art for Kids and Robots
“Personally, it’s important to connect with my kids through creativity because I want to share with them something that is so fundamentally important to me and has always driven who I am as a person. In general, I think even if art isn’t a huge part of your life, making art with your kids can be an incredible way to bond with them. It can slow down the pressures of everyday life and give you an excuse to play around like a kid.
I’m not a big “connect through sports” sort of mom. Art is what I know, and it’s the activity I can do with my kids that we can all enjoy together. I always have a project going on for my blog that I’m working on, so my favorite thing in the world is when the kids’ curiosity is piqued, and they wander over to either join me or make their own thing.” – Jeanette Nyberg
To Read :: Appreciating the Kid While Making Art
Creativity Helps Us Navigate the World
Gina Vide, Willowday
“A creative connection planted in early childhood is a lifelong seed for two way communication. If planted and tended to, this creativity will always be a bridge of sharing between both child and adult. For me, it’s a foundational way for children to learn how to find and hold onto wonder in the world around and a road map to navigate the world with creativity and an open mind.” – Gina Vide
Creative Connection Let’s Us Explore Together
Megan Schiller, The Art Pantry
“When we connect with our kids through creativity, we get to share an experience of playfulness, of letting go, of exploring materials together. We show them that it’s okay to make mistakes and try new things. It gives us a chance to be together, to work with our hands, to talk, laugh, and enjoy each others company in a new way.” – Megan Schiller
Creative Activities Help Families Understand Each Other
Bar Rucci, Art Bar
“When my children were younger, I set up an art invitation for them every day in our art room. During those years, it was just a time for them to explore materials in their own space, in their own way, on their own time. Now my children are teens and tweens, but looking back, I realize how much my children and I learned about each other through these art invitations.
- I had one child who was a perfectionist, so for her I made sure to stick with sensory and tactile invitations.
- I had one child who liked to build with tape. She just loved tape. So I always made sure to save toilet tubes and craft sticks and have them out with lots of tape.
- And my son, the youngest, loved taking tops of markers and then mixing them up and putting the wrong tops back on. He was (and still is) a very funny kid.
I loved being able to understand how their minds worked through the materials they chose and the decisions they made.” – Bar Rucci
To Read :: Creativity is Messy // Let Them Explore
Creative Fun Opens Lines of Communication
Erica, What Do We Do All Day?
“Making and playing offers a very relaxed atmosphere, one that often leads to laughter and spontaneous discovery. When the kids are relaxed, but still occupied with something else like a project or a game, I find the lines of communication start to really open up.” – Erica
How about you? How does your family benefit from creative connection? Does it help you slow down, bond, have fun, and understand yourselves and each other?
Want to learn more about how to use CONNECTION and CREATIVITY together as parenting tools? I have a powerful new mini course on how connection and creative activities can work hand in hand to improve family life while fostering long-term creativity and self confidence. Click here to purchase or learn more.
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