19 Aug How to Use Creativity as a Wellness Practice in the Homeschool

Mental health was never a big concern for me until the pandemic hit. Along with the lockdowns came the suspending of Homeschool Co-ops, friends and family isolating, sports and club closures, even parks and public libraries were off limits! I suddenly found myself at home with my two children who were used to a variety of activities every day – and the idea of an indefinite lockdown was not going over well. It wasn’t until I discovered how to use creativity as a wellness practice in the homeschool that we began to see a way past the sadness, loneliness and depression.

What is Creativity?

In order to understand how to use creativity as a wellness practice in the homeschool, it’s necessary to understand exactly what creativity is. According to Sir Ken Robinson, creativity expert, creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value. Creativity can involve music, visual arts, dance, and writing, to name a few. He claims that creativity is as important in education as literacy, yet too often the arts are found at the bottom of the educational hierarchy.

I have to admit I felt that last claim. How many times did I get busy and art was the first subject that I tossed? I think if I had truly understood the importance of art and creativity, I may have seriously reconsidered.

What is Mental Health?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health “includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.” Our mental health can be negatively affected by many things, including biology, bad experiences, substance abuse, and also feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Are Creativity and Mental Health Linked?

The answer is a resounding YES! Mental health and creativity are definitively interconnected. They walk hand-in=hand, each a critical component of the other. Mental health is necessary for creativity and creativity, in turn, can help improve mental health.

During our period of isolation, I noticed my children withdrawing to their rooms and expressed sadness and frustration. It was at these times, that they did not want to engage, yet it was evident to me that they needed to. So I brought out the arts and crafts for us to work on together. Some of it was mindless art – puzzles, or blowing paint with straws, imagining the result was a monster, and drawing eyeballs on them.

Other forms of creativity happened in the kitchen as we baked up chocolate chip cookies. For dinner one night we followed the instruction of Julia Child and learned a little French cooking, as we prepared Duck a l’Orange.

We painted, and knitted, and crocheted, and sewed. Clark made dolls and Luci made doll clothes. We made bracelets and necklaces with rubber bands. While I experimented with Clark at growing sourdough and baking bread, Luci taught herself how to make pancakes into all kinds of different shapes.

We Immersed Ourselves in Art

We put our routine homeschooling to the side and dove into art and crafts with a vengeance. All day long, we created. It was exciting and liberating! The children’s minds and hearts and souls lit up. As their creative muscle grew, they began initiating their own art projects.

And guess what?

The frustration, the anxiety, the fear, the loneliness, the sadness… DISAPPEARED.

What Happened?

Our discovery of the link between creativity and mental health was maybe what Bob Ross would call a “happy accident.” But there is actually plenty of science that backs up our “discovery.” I could give you a list of references, but this isn’t a science blog, so I’m just going to tell you what I found out when looking deeper into this happy little phenomenon.

First of all, when we are creative, we are accessing a different part of our brain that helps us see things in new ways and come up with solutions to problems. Since the creative space is a place where errors are seen as discoveries and learning is encouraged through mistakes, this brain work can be done in a safe space without fear of criticism or judgement. This in turn can help us feel more hopeful and positive.

This positive mindset brought on by creativity can help reduce the stress hormone, cortisol, which in turn helps to reduce stress and anxiety.

So Let’s Get Creative!

As a Homeschool Mom, I have art scheduled into my children’s curriculum at least twice a week. Before I understood the value of creativity, this subject was the first to get tossed when things got busy. It would sometimes be weeks until we got to art. With all of the mental health benefits of creativity, I realize I was very foolish to ever cancel art. This subject should be foundational to our curriculums!

So let’s make our first step to be more intentional about bringing in creativity into our children’s lives – not twice a week – but EVERY DAY! Here’s what that can look like:

• During their time outdoors, have the children find 10-20 beautiful leaves and have them string them together as a banner.
• Get different colored playdough and set it out for the kids to play with. It’s always amusing to see what they come up with.
• Have the kids join you in the kitchen to bake cookies.
• Buy random craft supplies at the Dollar Store, set them out for the children’s to play with and let their imaginations run.
• Pull up Happy Handicrafts on Youtube, provide the materials needed and give the children time to watch and create.
• Have art supplies available to your children at all times – items such as paper, pencils, erasers, paint, paintbrushes, etc.
• Play your favorite playlist and have a dance party.
• Have the kids create a musical instrument and present a concert.
• Suggest your child write a story. I had one of Luci’s stories printed and she now gets to claim that she is a published author.
• When your children find a fascinating item on a nature hike, bring it home and draw it.
• Attend a community theater.
• Download our Homeschool Art Study of George Seurat and do the activities together.
• For one Christmas, I gave each of my children a camera. One day I told them to take their camera outside and take a picture of the most beautiful thing that they saw. Clark’s picture is on the left. Luci’s is on the right. The results still make me laugh.

Yes, Mom. You are Creative Too!

Remember making creativity a wellness practice should never be burdensome. It should not be difficult or overwhelming. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be “artsy” or “crafty,” this doesn’t mean that you are not creative. God has given each of us this ability. It is part of being human. It’s your job to figure out where your creativity lies. Is it music? Visual arts? Dance? Creative writing? There are so many ways you can incorporate art into your life!

We know that mental health is a very complex and multi-faceted. And while we don’t know the secret to perfect mental health, we do know that creativity is one of those facets that can contribute to it. So try adding creativity to your life as a wellness practice. Do it alongside your children. Who knows, you might just find that you are happier at the end of the day.