5 TIPS FOR KEEPING TWEENS CREATIVE

During the pandemic, long stretches of social isolation inspired our tweens to come up with creative ways to entertain themselves and connect with their peers.

Flexing creative muscles can help tweens weather tough times. According to the World Economic Forum, curiosity, complex problem solving and critical thinking (all vital components of creativity) are crucial life skills.

“Creativity is more than just cognitive ability — it’s about teaching your tween the right mindset over the long haul, so they can navigate life’s challenges,” says creativity researcher Jonathan Plucker, a professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Here’s how parents can help tweens strengthen their creative muscles.

1. Identify a passion.

To many tweens, creativity may mean acting, writing or mastering a musical instrument. If those activities don’t interest them, they may not see themselves as creators, Plucker says. But copying the latest Tiktok dance craze, coding a new video game or learning how to cook also count as imaginative exercises. Researchers say creativity requires kids to solve problems in novel ways, and any activity that lights up this process is creative. Try brainstorming to help them find something that interests them.

2. Be a role model.

Boost tweens’ confidence by modeling creative thinking, including failure, yourself. Show them it’s OK to aim high and sometimes miss. Normalizing our mistakes can also lessen our kids’ fear of failure, say experts.

“Failure is an option,” says Michele Borba, author of the book “Thrivers: The Surprising Reason Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine.” “And that’s OK because kids need to understand they will find the answers some place in their brain.”

3. Tell tweens to “Just do it.”

It’s impossible to predict what activities will capture a tween’s interest, so encourage them to try as many things as they like, Plucker says, in the hopes something will stick. The flip side of this, though, is they need to be allowed to stop an activity if their interest wanes, and try something else. Resist the urge to tell them they have to stick with something until it ends. That could backfire and make them more hesitant to take risks and try new things, for fear of being stuck with something they don’t enjoy.

4. Offer verbal rewards.

Borba says you should encourage resourcefulness and open-ended thinking. For example, if a tween was baking and realized she missed an ingredient and started researching it to come up with a solution, parents should recognize and praise that behavior. Say something like, “That is fantastic, that you are looking for a substitute.” This doesn’t take much effort, but it will help steer them in the right direction — kids who don’t feel they have to “color inside the box all the time” have been shown to have much better self-esteem, Borba says.

5. Have them give you “the sell.”

Ask your tween to present their work to you, Plucker says. To practice selling their work, like contestants on the reality show “Shark Tank,” tweens can explain what they created and why it’s useful. Promoting their product is another way to bolster enthusiasm for their creative pursuits.