From Hillary Clinton's Too Small to Fail: Creativity for the Holidays

From Too Small to Fail: A Little Creativity For the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us, and so we’re thinking about the things that families can do together to inspire creativity. Whether preparing hand-made gifts for loved ones or participating in family holiday traditions, young children can express their creativity in different ways that encourage the signature trademarks of a creative mind—adaptability, independent thinking and imagination.
Creativity is a trait that we usually associate with children. However, researchers have found that environment plays an important role in influencing creativity, and early experiences can greatly encourage—or discourage—a child’s creative thinking. A young child who has been given ample time to draw, make crafts, explore their environment and engage in fantasy play often shows greater creativity in the school years. Parents can support their children’s creative thinking from infancy by encouraging babies to explore their environments and offering safe items for play that can be used in different ways.
With that in mind, this week we thought it would be fun to give you a run-down of creative ideas that parents and caregivers can undertake with their little ones—from babies to toddlers! By offering positive reinforcement that encourages their children’s imaginations, parents and caregivers can help their children develop flexible thinking that will boost their early learning.

• If you’ve run out of wrapping paper, this neat little DIY recipe is fun for both kids and adults. Great for young toddlers who may REALLY enjoy driving their toy trucks over non-toxic paint and paper.
• Three seasonal recipes that will help foster creativity in toddlers!
• And 50 creative play ideas for any time of the year can be found here!
• From baby dance parties to learning math with play dough, the ideas in this blog post should get your creative juices flowing.
• Finally, remember Silly Putty? You can recruit your little one to make your own version here. Then, copy newspaper print or roll it up into a ball and bounce it around (*not recommended for children who put toys or other items in their mouths).

Holiday Special

As the holidays draw near, we’re asking you to share your favorite holiday traditions and moments involving quality time with the kids in your life, whether it’s reading books together, singing holiday songs, or simply spending quiet family time.
Starting Monday, December 22, use #SmallTraditions on Facebook or Twitter to share your most treasured moments. Don’t forget a photo! We will share our favorites, too.