Being Creative This Half-Term

As schools and colleges prepare for the autumn half-term holiday and with many people now working with condensed hours, or in a hybrid manner there are more opportunities to enjoy some creative time together.

There are real health benefits from slowing down and being creative. Our television screens are full of people who have found creative inspiration in later life, and as the school curriculum often offers reduced opportunity for study in the creative arts, encouraging creativity at home is an important way of developing a more rounded perspective in your child’s education.

Children and young people on a break from school or college may at first be reluctant to take part – often preferring to sleep, or play with technology, but they will often join in if the opportunity is available and adults are also involved. Timing is everything, respecting their need for recovery time and their nocturnal patterns can mean it’s late in the afternoon before you get started but combining a late lunch with something creative can often be enjoyable.

Creativity is often misunderstood, so many people believe that they are not creative, but it can be developed and nurtured, sadly as children get older, they often don’t want to experiment with being creative, partly because they feel embarrassed and don’t believe they are good enough, or they haven’t had the chance at school. If gentle encouragement doesn’t work then leave opportunities around naturally for them to join in, or pursue your own creative activities in the hope that over time they may join in.

The most natural way to encourage creativity is from a very young age, in creative households where people learn and develop new skills together it is much easier to keep this learning growing, but it is never late to learn, and if you have never learnt to knit, or crochet, or take part in creative activities there may be local classes, or online demonstrations/tutorials where you can learn together.

Creativity takes so many forms, from cooking, sewing, knitting, making music, dancing, playing family games, building projects to messier activities like painting, air-dried clay, or going outside in the garden.

There are so many pressures and interruptions in our daily life spending time together becomes precious, so here is a list of other activities that can be shared and enjoyed together.

Cooking and Baking
This is one of the most natural family activities, instead of sending out for a takeaway, create one of your own meals, choose something simple and make sure you have all the ingredients ready and ideally don’t wait until everyone is starving! Making cookies, or other biscuits, jam tarts, or savoury treats can be another activity which can be fun but isn’t as time-consuming as a meal.

Crafting
Creativity is at the heart of everything we do, if you explore this site you will find wonderful examples of many creative activities that are suitable for everyone of all ages. 
As a nation we are losing many of our traditional crafts and sharing creative knowledge can also be multi-generational, grandparents and great grandparents often have creative skills that they would love to share. Learning to knit, crochet, sew. or experiment with other crafts, can also be an opportunity for you to learn and experiment together, you may also want to start making special presents that can be completed in time for Christmas.

Drama and Improvisation
There are many games which involve role play and improvisation, which can be hilarious and enjoyable, and younger children often enjoy acting out their favourite stories, puppet play can also be great fun, you can create your own hand-made puppets using socks with a few embellishments. Going out to the cinema, or the theatre can also be a special treat. Live performances can be so inspiring and create a lifetime interest in performing. There may also be local classes that they could join.

Being Active 
There are many sporting activities that are on offer locally. Encouraging children and young people to be active in an activity that they enjoy is an important way of staying healthy. Going out for walks is something that you can all enjoy together.

Music and Dancing
Like drama, making music can develop into a much more broader interest as they grow older, and young children like making music, and there is a wonderful freedom in encouraging dance,  
particularly if you join in! Having relaxing background music playing when you are eating can transport the imagination to meals in France, Spain, Italy or further abroad.

Games
Playing games can take many forms from using technology to the more traditional games. New games are coming on to the market all the time, but having favourites that everyone enjoys is a fun activity. What is most important is a recognition that it needs to be a game that everyone enjoys and caters for all abilities. Card games can often be a favourite, as are games that involve different selections for different age groups. Playing in pairs can also mean that there is an equal opportunity for everyone to share in success. Jigsaws, crossword puzzles and word search games played together can also be relaxing as well as creative.

Visits and Day Trips
Planning an autumn break, or even a day trip can be challenging with both the cost of living and also the seasonal weather, therefore sometimes an impromptu outing can be more successful.  There are also many opportunities locally to go exploring, but if you do plan to go away, many small businesses will be so pleased to see you as they face the challenges of visitor numbers falling out of season. Wrapping up warm and visiting a beach can literally be such a breathe of fresh air, with much easier parking and the opportunity to warm up with a hot drink afterwards.

Many venues also have special half-term events, including Halloween, where you can visit the grounds, or take part in activities.

Reading and Storytelling

Reading a story is a wonderful way to end a day, sharing favourite well-loved stories often stay as a lifetime memory. Encouraging children to create their own stories is a wonderful way of firing their own imagination.