my little stinker. little mr. re-nest #2 is a major fan of all things play-doh!

when you have a mama who’s kinda creative, you’d think it comes along in the genes, right? yes and no. i get asked a lot if my boys love all things creative like i do. again, the answer is yes and no. and, i have to admit, in the early stages of parenting, i was trying to push it on them both. i wanted them to be artistic and to grow and shape that part of their mind. and, i realized the more i pushed, the more they pushed back.

i backed off.

when i backed off and just let them see me doing what i do with canvases and paints and markers and paper and more, their interest piqued. little mr. re-nest #1 started to want to go to michaels with me. he wanted to get his hands dirty and create. and, what’s better: he enjoyed it.

if you’re sitting in front of a newborn and you’re wondering how you get them interested in art, or if you have been trying to get your littles to get their hands a little dirty with some paint, i have a few suggestions on how to make this happen in a roundabout way. nothing is scientific: these are just my opinions + what i found worked for us!

1. play-doh. kinetic sand. mega-bloks. encourage them to do something where they can see that they have made something. what i learned with my boys as toddlers (and for one of them, we’re still very much in this world) is that when they can see they made something this lights up their pride like no other. cultivate that pride + the learning + encouragement that they can make something with their own two hands.

2. let them help you in the kitchen. whether it’s decorating cookies, or helping crack some eggs, or frosting a cake, your littles will again see you making. and, if there’s anything that little want to do, it’s to be just like mom and dad.

3. if dad is a handy type of guy, let your littles see dad fixing things, making things, and creating. even let them in on the safer parts of the making. the more they see, the more they are going to become curious about making their own things.

little mr. re-nest #1’s personal art kit! (p.s. this was a way better gift than trying to find him another plastic toy!)

4. by elementary school, kids are going to get more exposure into art supplies + the fun that comes with them. whether you introduce these into your home is totally up to you. if you want to dabble in setting your kids up with some fun art supplies, a great way to do this is with a little art kit. we did this for little mr. re-nest #1’s birthday, and it was a huge hit! i made a trip to michaels and picked up the following: a soft sided bin for the supplies, a 5-pack of 12″ x 12″ canvases, a pack of assorted paint brushes, some acrylic paints, glue, pom poms, and lots of stickers. he still loves getting this out, and getting creative!

by no means do you have to introduce a major art kit into your kiddo’s life! but you can help them grow + explore + help them find their path and way that they can be a little creative everyday. (see what i did there??? wink, wink!)