It is often said that creativity is the freest form of self-expression. My daughter first showed her creative side at a very young age. She’s great at drawing and loves creating things. She and a friend got together and her friend wrote a book and my daughter illustrated it: Frog’s Best Friend. She wants to be an artist and it has been incredible to watch her talent grow as she has gotten older. She gets excited when we have new art projects to try and I’ve tried to make sure she always has the tools and resources to express her creativity. From an easel and paint, to something as simple as Play-Doh. As a parent, it has been important to me to know that when my children weren’t with me, they were still in an environment that encourages use of their imagination. I have always been a pronate of daycare and what it offers our young minds. I wanted to make sure they were given plenty of opportunities to keep their minds active and always ready to learn and explore endless possibilities. I researched my daycares when my children were young and one that always made it to the top of my list was Kindercare.
Daycares like Kindercare are in the unique position to provide experiences that greatly enhance and develop a child’s creativity. They are able to nurture the emotional health of a child by providing activities to stimulate the imagination. Children can identify new ways of thinking and solve problems by using outlets from drawing to painting, building and putting things together, to playing dress up. The great thing about creativity is that there is no right or wrong. The sky is truly the limit when expressing yourself ~ the only thing it requires is putting a little bit of “you” out there.
A fun activity and a fantastic way to express your creativity is 3-D foam art. I’m sure most of you had a love of puffy paints when you were younger, this is exactly like that and it’s easy to make yourself! Warning: This activity can get messy! I think some of the best activities are messy. Here are the instructions on creating foamy fun art!
3-D Foam Art
What You Will Need:
- Shaving cream
- Craft glue
- Food coloring
- Cardstock or heavy paper
Directions:
- Mix equal parts shaving cream and craft glue
- Spoon into a Ziploc baggie
- Cut one corner off the bag
- Paint by squeezing the bag onto the cardstock or heavy paper as if you were frosting a cake with a pastry bag
- Leave overnight to dry
Of course, you’ll want to head outside when using foam paint or use plenty of newspaper on a table if it’s a rainy day. Express your own creativity by creating a design or picture first, showing your child how to squeeze the paint out of the bag. Give suggestions to start with such as the sun and clouds, their favorite meal, or what a perfect day looks like. Abstract designs sometimes make the best pictures so make plenty of dots or even squiggles. When the pictures are done, allow to dry overnight. The puffy foam paint grows and hardens and leaves a masterpiece worthy of prime fridge real estate.
