Do You Have a Creative Child?

by Jim Pence

Do you have a creative child?

Creative children can be a challenge to raise. They can be messy, disorganized, moody, perfectionist, and generally difficult to deal with. In this post, I’m going to cover a few of the most common personality characteristics found in creative children. Although these traits can be found in anybody, they seem to occur more frequently in imaginative or creative children.

If your child thinks the world is his canvas, you might have a creative child.

Is your son or daughter always painting, drawing, building–making–something? You probably have a creative child.

Incidentally, although most of the references in this post refer to art (drawing, painting, etc.) the same characteristics apply to the child who is composes music, who likes to write stories, make movies, do crafts, cook, do woodworking, and so on. Creativity isn’t limited to painting and drawing.

If she sees the world from a different angle, you might have a creative child.

My daughter did an abstract painting when she was younger, and it still hangs in our bathroom. She hung it at an angle, and  her older brother would straighten it out every chance he got. But it didn’t take long before Charlene would restore it to it’s “proper” angle.

Both of our children are grown now, but when our son comes to visit, he usually straightens the painting out. And when our daughter comes by, she puts it back at an angle.

If she wants to try out for the next season of America’s Got Talent, you might have a creative child.

Many creative children love to perform for an audience–even if the audience is only made up of stuffed animals.

When I was a young boy, I loved to sing for imaginary audiences. Because of severe allergies, I spent a lot of time in an air-conditioned bedroom. (Back then, only rich people had central air!)

In the privacy (and security) of my room, I listened to and sang songs from Broadway shows to an audience only I could see. It was many years before I worked up the courage to actually sing in front of real people, but the desire to perform was strong.

By the way, even if your child isn’t a “performer,” when they show you something they have created they are, in effect, performing. They want your approval. Don’t feel the need to be an art critic. What they need is your affirmation and encouragement.

If you are building a collection of non-representational art, you might have a creative child.

One of the awesome things about children is that when they are young, they are completely free in what they do artistically. Color a dog purple? Sure. Draw a green sky? Why not? Unfortunately, as we grow older we become more conventional and “in the box.” If your child is still a free spirit when she draws and doesn’t worry too much about whether something looks “right,” you might just have a creative child.

If your child needs space at times and tends to crave solitude, you might have a creative child.

We live in a society that thrives on activity and social relationships. However, sometimes we creatives need our space. I can tell you from personal experience that being around a lot of people is emotionally draining for me. Although I’m not a total recluse, I frequently feel the need to pull back and have down time–especially if I’ve been at an event where there are a lot of people in attendance. So if at times your son or daughter seems to need more time alone than his/her siblings, you might have a creative child.

Disclaimer: I am not a child psychologist. My observations about creative children are drawn from my own life experience as a creative child, and now a creative adult.