“Where did he come up with that?” Kids often amaze us with their imaginative ideas, and we should give ourselves a pat on the back for playing a role in this development. Innovative thinking is essential for success in school and in life, and it’s our job as parents to nurture our kids’ innate desire to be creative. Inventive play fosters original thinking, an asset when children are confronted with new situations. By providing activities that use their creativity and imaginations, we are giving our children an important tool to deal with life down the road.

Give them ideas
Children come up with things to do on their own, but we also need to provide them with new ideas of interesting activities. Think back to what you did as a kid. Did you write a diary, create elaborate puppet shows, or sing and dance for relatives? Share ideas from your own childhood experiences. Offer creative writing ideas like writing an episode for a favorite television show or writing a new ending to a favorite story. Craft projects offer another outlet for inspiring imaginations. Craft kits, especially those from Curiosity Kits and ALEX, offer a wide variety of unusual and fun projects. They’ve brought us a long way from the sock puppets of our youth. These manufacturers offer ideas and supplies to make such things as scrapbooks, powerballs, soaps, candy, sun catchers, dolls, planes, dinosaurs, jewelry treasures, and lots of decorative items. Kids can gather ideas from the instructions, and then give the projects their own unique touches.

Keep ideas fresh
Pick up any parenting magazine and you’ll find lots of ideas to get those creative juices flowing in your kids. Search the web and check out craft stores. Keep a journal or file for magazine clippings and ideas as you find them. Stockpile so that you’ll know how to answer the whiny “I’m bored” call from your kids.

Give them freedom
Once you’ve given your kids some suggestions and supplies, step back and see which they choose and where they go with them. This unstructured play time gives kids an opportunity to stretch their creative muscles. Watch as they incorporate your ideas and branch out on their own.

Set an example
Chances are, if you are a creative person, your child will be too. You display creativity in your everyday activities like when you reason with a disgruntled child, change lyrics to songs, and maybe even do some interpretive dancing to entertain a toddler. Your children see your silliness and it rubs off on them. You surely use creativity to juggle your and your family’s schedules. It’s a great idea to point out to your kids how you use creativity in your daily life.

As parents, we always try to do the very best for our kids and provide opportunities that will help them mature into intelligent, capable adults. Nurturing their creative spirits helps them along this road. With their well-developed imaginations, maybe they’ll turn it into a yellow brick, pink polka-dotted road with sparkles!

About The Author
Susan Stump is the mother of two children and the owner of ChildCrafter, Co. – Craft Kits and Subscriptions that Inspire a Child’s Imagination. This work-at-home-mom offers a great selection of creative craft kits from ALEX, Quincrafts, and Curiosity Kits from her catalog and website www.childcrafter.com. Email her at childcrafter@yahoo.com.

1. Start Young
   Adult eating habits oftentimes stem directly from the way that they ate as a youngster. By starting your children on a vegetarian diet early, you can plant the seeds for a healthy adult life.
   The younger the child, the easier the transition to a vegetarian diet will be. Infants and toddlers can thrive on vegetarian foods, and they can learn to love this diet early on in life. Older children can also make the transition to a vegetarian diet, but it will be simpler if you start your children on the diet when they are young.
2. Make Sure the Diet is Balanced
   Children’s nutritional needs are even more urgent than adults, since they are creating bone and burning energy at an even higher rate. With a vegetarian diet, it is particularly important that your children have a balanced diet that is high in calcium, protein, and minerals like B12 that are usually found in meats.
3. Lead by Example
   If you want your children to have a healthy vegetarian diet, you should show them how to do it by sticking to a vegetarian diet yourself. Children will learn faster by watching you than simply listening to your directions. Make sure that you not only stick to a vegetarian diet, but make healthy eating choices within that diet.
4. Explain Why
   Even very young children will want to know why they can’t eat the same foods as their friends and neighbors. Explain your reasons for sticking to a vegetarian diet in an age-appropriate way for your child so they will understand the need for making healthy dietary choices.
5. Provide Plenty of Choices
   Convincing your child to enjoy a vegetarian diet will be much easier if he or she doesn’t feel deprived. Keep a wide variety of vegetarian snacks, meals, and desserts on hand. Even strict vegan diets have room for cakes and cookies that are not made with animal by-products, so be sure to take full advantage of these recipes to keep your child satisfied.

Ultimately, your child is going to be the one to make the final decision about his or her eating habits. As children age, you can no longer watch over everything they choose to eat. However, if you can instill good eating habits when they are little, the chances are much higher that they will continue to make good choices as they age. By showing your child that a vegetarian diet can be delicious, healthy, and environmentally friendly, you can encourage him or her to hold to these ideals as an adult as well.

About this Article
Article provided courtesy of Only Cookware – a resource for cookware sets, stainless cookware and enamel cast iron cookware.