Article by : Kim Korpady
Son-Rise Program®Team Trainer
& Professional Training Coordinator
In The Son-Rise Program® we see
creativity as a key piece in helping form a deep connection to our children on
the Autism Spectrum. Oftentimes we hear from parents around the World … “I’m
just not creative.”
But the thing is … WE ACTUALLY
ARE CREATIVE! Isn’t that wonderful!?!
As humans, we all have the
capacity to be creative - we were not born as “UN-CREATIVE” beings! In fact, as children we spent much of our
childhood practicing our creativity… and for many of us this was encouraged as
a way to help us develop … playing with our peers, running around imagining we
were pirates or princesses, turning inanimate objects into the most magnificent
playmates, etc.
Somewhere along the line of
growing-up into the adults we are today, the idea of playfulness and creativity
has been pushed to the side to make way for responsibility and handling life in
an “adult” way.
Growing up we were easily able
to access our imaginations, silliness, and creativity, so this is not something
we are born without having. Oftentimes
what is happening is that we have just not put this skill into practice for
quite a while, therefore we haven’t allowed ourselves to experience this, and
then we create the belief that we aren’t creative (based on all the evidence we
have created for ourselves over the years) … So for those of you out there
wanting a bit of a kick-start to CREATIVITY, here are five simple steps to
getting your CREATIVE on!
Five helpful tips for
CREATIVITY!!!
1.Remind yourself you actually
DO have something fun and wonderful to offer your child. You are a powerful FUN MAGNET!!!
Our beliefs fuel our actions -
and when we are believing and telling ourselves that we are full of fun and
creativity we will be more likely to carry this out by offering our child fun
games and activities! Believe in yourself!
2.There are no good or bad
ideas.
Rather than putting a filter on what we are about to present (“Is this fun enough?” … “Is this exciting enough?”… “Will my child enjoy this?”…etc.), instead try out being FILTER FREE…
Rather than putting a filter on what we are about to present (“Is this fun enough?” … “Is this exciting enough?”… “Will my child enjoy this?”…etc.), instead try out being FILTER FREE…
Oftentimes a big thing that
gets in the way of us being able to access our creativity is when we filter our
ideas; or when we think, "is this a good or bad idea." The minute we
start judging our ideas, or start thinking "I have to get it right" …
or "I have to have the right game"… or do it the right way – we are
essentially judging our ideas.
Here is a thought that might
help if you find yourself judging your game or ideas when playing with your
child … We can't be in our child’s brain, so we don’t even know what the
“right” thing would be … what we can do instead is rely on ourselves and think
what is my idea, and then carry out that idea to help our beautiful children
see how alive and inviting people can be!!!
3.Think about something you
would like to do - and do it!
Do you like playing soccer?
Offer to play a game of soccer with your child!
Do you like to cook? Have fun pretending to cook with your child! Do you like to sing? Sing for your child!
Try thinking of something that
would be FUN FOR YOU, and offer that to your child! When we are behind our ideas and we offer our
child something we ourselves are really into, they will be much more likely to
come on board with our ideas and play the games and activities we are offering
because they see how much fun we ourselves are having with it.
4.Pick up any object and BRING
IT TO LIFE by TAKING ACTION!
- Throw it
- Spin it
- Give it a goofy voice
- Cheer for it
- Make it sing
- Make it dance
- Give your child tickles with it
- Sometimes we hear “Oh if I do that, I might look really silly …” and the thing is … you might! But how wonderful for your child to see you there offering them silliness and playfulness! Our children are not judging our ideas. In fact, when we let loose and take actions that invite a sense of silliness, we are inspiring them to see how fun people really are! This is a beautiful invitation into our world.
5.Say you get “stuck”... it
doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck … Bring yourself back to the present moment
and START AGAIN! Have fun practicing
staying PRESENT and PLAYFUL.
Most importantly, let the LOVE
you feel for your child be your inspiration as you take yourself to new amazing
places with your creativity! Have the
best time with your AMAZING CHILDREN!!!
With love,
Kim
