We all know creativity is important for our children - and most of us believe all children are naturally creative. Easily. Freely. 

In true play, we observe children freely choosing activities, immersed in their work without regard for minutes ticking by. They are fully present, engaged. It is a beautiful thing.

We support our children by pouring hours of our time, resources and behind-the-scenes work into structures that frame space for their creative learning. Here, in a community of young families coming together to support our children’s development, we have a unique opportunity. We don’t have to go it alone. We each contribute and receive. 

But what would happen if we took it a step further? What if we support our children’s growth and our own? 

Can we uncover our own creativity? If you can’t remember ever feeling creative, can we awaken that essential part of you that has gone dormant? What would it be like to feel joyful immersion in the present moment? How would it feel to pause the whirlwind of things left to accomplish on your adulting lists? Are you creative? 

I say - YES. You are creative. You are human. As a parent, you are constantly learning, re-inventing, growing. When we turn toward creativity, we start to shift into a whole new way of being. You are creative. 

Being in touch with your creative self begins with a cycle of engaging in something fully, allowing the process to stand on its own without focus on a product, and taking time to notice how you feel. Each of us may find our own way eventually - after all, that’s what being creative is ultimately all about! But to get started, to break out of old patterns, it might be helpful to play creatively with others. 

One of the best ways I know to unlock creativity is through music.

In workshops and classes, we explore lots of ways to make music! We’ll learn what ‘playing with music’ means - and play with silly sounds, our singing voices, moving our bodies to a beat, making up new rhymes and more. You may have ideas about if you ‘can sing’ or not. You may have some ideas about if you ‘can dance’ or not. You may have ideas about if you ‘are creative’ or not. I’m here to meet you wherever you are, to encourage you and help you discover a new way to play. Because you are. You are creative.

So. You want to flex those creative muscles? Want to tap into your wellspring of creative powers? Here’s an activity you can do at home right now, today.

This one is for you, the grown-ups:

Skyscape to Bach

1. Open your favorite music app and cue up the “Bach Double Violin Concerto in d minor BWV 1043 Largo ma non Tanto” - I love violinist Hillary Hahn, but there are lots of recordings of this piece. This is the slow second movement. In my playlist I add a silent track to follow the Bach. 
2. Lie on your back on a yoga mat or comfy carpeted space (remove race-cars and legos first!)
3. Push play
4. Imagine your toes are paintbrushes - reach them toward the sky, flex and point your feet, put some space between your toes and wiggle them around. Allow your legs to relax - knees can be straight or bent or anywhere you like as long as your back is comfy on the earth.
5. Now, take a breath. Feel your lungs fill, empty and fill. 
6. Start to ‘draw’ the shapes of clouds in the air above you, imagine you are painting on the ceiling with your paintbrush clad feet. Your skyscape will shift and change, just like the clouds in the sky, and there will be layers and changes over time. Follow the music or do your own thing. 
7. Breathe. Take breaks to stretch, twist, relax.
8. Allow your painting to grow larger and smaller, explore space beside you as if your canvas is the shape of a dome - planetarium style. 
9. When the song is over, land your feet on the floor with knees bent or stretch out legs savasana style. 
10. Breathe.
11. Allow the silence for one minute (or more).
12. Notice your heartbeat. Notice your breath. 
13. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly. 
14. You are creative. 

There are as many ways to access your creativity as there are moments in a lifetime. I love finding new ways to unlock creative flow - for myself, for others. Here are a few ideas for activities you can do with your children. There’s a link below for 2 more Creativity Cues to do when you have a few minutes to yourself. Please supervise water play 100% of the time.

Mini-Creativity Cues to enjoy together or on your own:

• Draw with your non-dominant hand
• Sing Old macDonald Had a Farm and make as many silly animal sounds as you can, the more realistic and silly the better
• Finger paint to music
• Pick as many shades of red-orange-yellow as you have in your crayon bin and fill every bit of your paper with warm colors
• Pick as many shades of green-blue-violet as you have in your crayon bin and fill every bit of your paper with cool colors
• Sing ‘There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o” and instead of clapping on the missing letters, make up a new move for each letter. (jump, slide, hop, hop, jazz hands…) 
• Sing “There was a mommy had a friend and ______ was their name-O”  etc, make it up with family members. 5 letters is obviously the most easy but you can change the rhythm and get other names to work. (Because you are creative!!!) Clap or make motions for the missing letter verses. 
• Make color oceans - put ⅓ oil, ⅔ water and a few drops of food coloring in clear bottles with secure lids. Move your oceans around and then watch it settle. Variation - add glitter. Sing She Sells Seashells from the free Hello Everybody App while you watch your oceans settle.
• Bubbles partner game - one person blows bubbles, the other follows the bubbles until they pop on their own. 
• Bubble pop - one person blows bubbles, the other person pops. Sing 2 notes: high/low or sol/do or five/one or dominant/tonic. First higher note is for getting ready to pop, lower resting tone pitch for the actual pop. Don’t worry about which pitch, just high and low is fine. 
• Make mud pies
• Pour water from bucket to bucket, and really watch the flow of the water. Play with speed, height, volume. Get out your plastic funnels and buckets.
• Sink or float? Find objects that sink and objects that float. Watch the bubbles on sunken objects. Watch the movement of the water as objects are added, as they float and sink. 
• Paint things - rocks, plastic shower liners (outside), old pieces of wood, cardboard boxes headed for the recycle bin. Mix colors and get messy.
• Tie Dye - stained shirts, old washcloths and dish towels, socks. Get weird with your scrunching and rubber banding and ties - see what happens when you play. Use a spray bottle instead of dunking your cloth, do something not in the directions.
• Plant something, water something, transform a space, no matter how small
• Re-visit your favorite park and actually get up on the equipment to play
• Using a straw, blow a cotton ball across the table to your partner, then they can toss it back or use a straw to blow it back to you. 
• Make a stretchy hula hoop loop with 20-25 hair scrunchies all looped together and use it for a family dance, ‘horse and cart’ game, or merry-go-round. 

You get the idea! I could go on, but I want you to stop reading and go play. Come back and let me know your favorite Creativity Cues in the comments.

To get 2 more detailed activity flows, email Cheryl for a free PDF download of Cue My Creativity - 3 DIY Activities to Unlock Your Creative Self

Be sure to listen to our new podcast Let’s Make Music Together^® with Cheryl