"Creative" DD after academic DS

[lorensorensen]

OK, I know its early doors but DD is starting school in Jan, and at both her pre school and kindergarten settings she has been described as creative. DS at the same age was described as bright.

All jolly lovely, but I don't have a creative streak in my body and am unsure about how best to help her develop. With DS its been relatively easy so far as he's turned on by essentially an extension of the school curriculum. At the same age with DS for example we were doing Jolly Phonics workbooks at home and some simple maths, which he asked for and loved. DD snorts at me if I suggest doing some letters.

I often plonk her at the table with the "cutting, gluing and sticking" box and leave her to it, which she loves, but is this helping her and what else could I be doing? We do lots of cooking and gardening together but this is really just her helping me, and she gets plonked also with Play Doh. We've also done the usual Draw round your body and colour it in and similar stuff. It all feels a bit tired and unimaginative, maybe because I'm not creative myself.

Any ideas appreciated.

My DD is very creative and has always been pointed out as very artistic...she is 6....it's only now in year two that she is also becoming very academic. I advise you not to label them just yet...and not to try and taylor her activities to fit in with someone elses concept of her at such an early age.

Most girls love crafts and painting...it doesn't point to a lack of academic ability.

If you want some ideas, try getting one of the Usbourne arty/crafty books - this one is a pretty good all-round one, but they also have lots of other seasonal ones, drawing, painting etc. For little kids they also have ones in the series "I can draw/paint/stick" etc.

They should give you a few new things to try out, though if your DD is really creative, she probably won't want to stick exactly to the instructions....

But I also agree that you should keep offering the chance to try other things too - she might suddenly develop an enthusiam for meccano or French or something...

Thanks for the advice, I will have a good look at Usborne.

It wasn't my intention to label either my DS or DD but for the purposes of the question, I wanted to explain what I have made an extra effort to do with my DC outside of the norm, for me. I am not saying I don't expect DD to be academic in future, either. I know a few creative children in DS's class that are also academic. I merely mentioned it as its a descriptor used for DD repeatedly, and is a new experience for me as it was never a descriptor used for DS.

Similarly, I will of course look to help her develop in other areas, its just that I need help with creativity myself which is why I posted on here!