Sometimes creativity doesn’t flow from your kids. You really want them to explore and create and learn. After all it is summertime, you intentionally relaxed the lesson schedule, and it is time for them to embrace their inner inventors and artists.
But they are close to comatose, just lazing through the day, and have been for a while. The magical moment you want to create for them just isn’t working.
So out of desperation, you bring out a really fun building toy they routinely used to create magical worlds when they were young. Neither child even notices. You begin to play yourself and before you know it you are having fun. And you just discovered a way to design geometric shapes that the kids can use for sketching. You discover how a 2-dimensional square can actually be a twisted 3-dimensional shape that also looks like a star from just the right angle. You make a note to try this with the kids when they wake from their stupor.
You move on to another shape and then a small hand reaches over your shoulder and grabs the pieces away. It happened!
The next thing you know your kids are back! Those engaged, active, happy, expressive, creative ones that you love so well. And all it took was for you to get involved yourself instead of dictating from afar.
There must be a lesson in there somewhere, right?
