Learn to be ‘childish’ from your creative child!

Let’s discuss creative children and adults. Do you remember that super snowy day last January? My news feeds on social media were filled for 24 hours with pictures and videos of grown-up friends jumping in, playing with and generally engaging with the snow creatively! What a joy to see adults excited like children! I was definitely one of them, so excited to go out while it was snowing. 

Creative or childish?

Remember last January, seeing adults so excited about something so simple – the snow – was an absolute joy. However, I soon started to notice a pattern common to most posts and stories on social media, as well as accounts told by my friends. Adults had to apologise for being silly and dismiss their excitement for something so simple – ‘just snow’.

This is the world we live in. We encourage our children to be creative and explore their surroundings freely, playing. And we love when they get easily excited about the little things in life. But as adults, we feel silly doing so and normally – on a non-snowy day – we manage to completely restrain ourselves from anything described above, which is considered ‘childish’.

Artists like children

It’s a shame that the word ‘childish’ has such a negative connotation. The above-described scenario brought William Wordsworth’s poem ‘My Heart Leaps Up’ back to my mind. You can find it at the bottom of the blog. According to Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge and Blake, poets and artists are like children. They all share a similar sensibility that enables them to understand nature, live spontaneously and be creative.

How to never stop being creative

So when do some young adults stop being creative? Sometimes school is seen as being in opposition to play and creativity. That’s what is wrong about frowning upon being childish. Indeed, learning and creative play go hand in hand, as early childhood development studies prove. And even growing up, children who engage in musical activities, for example, have an easier way to learn maths and foreign languages. Similarly, creative individuals are great problem solvers and their personality traits make them more inclined to becoming innovators and entrepreneurs as adults.

Is your child’s school an old-school (excuse the pun!) one that still sees education in opposition to playing and creativity? If so, do not worry, as your child will still be able to retain their creativity. As long as at home, parents will see creativity as a positive and complementary to their education.

Are you worried that your child may be missing out on the magic of creativity? We founded CocoRio for this purpose. To enable families with busy schedules and limited free time to find a wonderfully experienced creative professional to accompany their child through a journey of discovery of anything creative, following their interests and inclination. We have musicians, painters, mask makers, actors, filmmakers, and more! And many of our creative facilitators are also multilingual. All our sitters hold a DBS check, first aid training and CocoRio fully vets them.

All the benefits of a creative child

So, next time it snows, take your whole family out and do not apologise for being silly while jumping in the snow, with or without your little ones. The best gift you can give to your child is showing them that adults are allowed to be creative and enjoying the little things too. This is not only linked to all the benefits for character development or learning.

This ‘childish’ attitude is also going to be extremely beneficial for their mental health. This is because engaging in creative activities and observing the beauty of nature encourages people to be mindful, and present, living in the moment. This is why we recommend parents introduce their children to the changing of the seasons, as well as nature in general, especially if they live in a city. Our CocoRio creative sitters and facilitators value sustainability close to their hearts and love using items found in the park or in the garden during their sessions, as well as devising seasonal activities.

Now I leave you with one of my favourite poems…

My heart leaps up when I behold 
   A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began; 
So is it now I am a man; 
So be it when I shall grow old, 
   Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

(My Heart Leaps Up, William Wordsworth, 1770-1850)