Why Creativity Matters

This month on the blog we are going to be doing something a little bit different and focus on one topic all month: the topic of creativity for kids. Creativity is something both my husband and I are passionate about, and it’s something we want to see in our children’s lives, but even more importantly it’s something we believe is NECESSARY for children to grow into successful adults. The desire to see our kids grow in their creativity often fuels how we parent and how we spend our time. The reality is creativity isn’t going to happen if we don’t make time for it. That feels daunting in a culture that rushes from one scheduled activity to the next; why should we choose margin for creativity OVER one more sports practice, dance recital, or playdate? If we don’t think it matters, we probably aren’t going to be willing to make time for it, so let’s kick off this series by talking about the WHY, why does it matter that our kids have time to pursue creativity?

1. Creativity is necessary for our rapidly changing job market. We are living in a time where many people are working jobs that hadn’t even been invented yet when they were kids (podcasters, bloggers, almost anyone working in the technology field applies here). I imagine we will continue to see this increase in the types of jobs available as technology continues to rapidly change, and there is a very good chance our children will grow up to work jobs that are unheard of right now. It is impossible for any education system (public, private, or homeschool) to give our kids the knowledge needed to someday work a job that’s never been invented. I listen to a lot of podcasts and read a lot of books talking about the advancement of technology, and something I hear every single person who is working in the field of technology say is that if adults are going to be successful working in their field, then they have to be creative, critical thinkers. We need more adults who can think outside of the box when faced with challenges, more adults who can see the big idea instead of just the hurdles in the way. These skills come from time spent in creativity and imaginative play as children.

2. Creativity is part of the gift of childhood. I fear that we have forced many of our kids to grow up too fast by not allowing them time to pursue creativity. Part of every childhood should include painting because paints are just plain fun, building a city out of cardboard boxes, and dreaming up stories to pretend with your siblings and friends. I know I’m going against the cultural narrative here, but your kids will have plenty of time to do extracurriculars when they get older; I’m not saying that extracurriculars in elementary are wrong, but if you are spending all of your time on school, sports, and homework, with no time left for your kids to play and create, then it’s time to take a second look at the schedule. Your kids only get one childhood; don’t waste it.

3. Creativity is one way we worship the Creator. As individuals made in the image of God, we are called to reflect His characteristics to the world. God is the ultimate Creator; He created everything in the beginning, and He continues to create each day, with each child that is growing in its mother's womb, with each flower that blooms, each animal that gives birth. Not only that, but if we are believers, He has made us new creations in Him. Each time we create something ourselves, we are reflecting Him to the world, showing His goodness and beauty to those who are hurting and lost. How powerful would it be if we all lived this way and taught our children to do the same? What if we went through each day looking for ways to create, ways to bring life to others? Our children will only learn to do this from us; sure, they may see snippets of it when they attend church each week, but the real magic happens when they see it lived out in their homes each day.

Creativity should be valued by all Christians, and it should be something we want to pass down to our children; later this week we will dive into what creativity actually means and dispel the myth that being creative is automatically the same as being artistic.