Mommy Monday- Garden Photos Taken by a 5 Year Old

Last night we were streaming photos from our MacBook Air to our TV when the above sunflower photo filled the screen. “That’s a great shot honey,” I said to The Hubs. “Your composition is so interesting.”

“I didn’t take it,” he said. “Bean did.”

Bean looked at me and nodded her head proudly. “I took all of these photos mama!” she said.

We recently gave 5 year old Bean an old camera and have encouraged her to take it with her when we go on outings and take photos of the things she sees.

It’s interesting to see what the world looks like through the eyes of a child. Giving a child a camera is a great way to get to experience that. When you put a camera in a child’s hands rarely is their composition of a photo the way you would take it.

I find it interesting to look at the things that inspire creativity in my children today (photography and art for Bean, music for Turtle) and imagine if they will still feel as passionately about those things 5 years from now, 10 years, 15, 20.

I think as we get older we lose some of our creativity. I know I find it difficult to play as creatively with my kids as I would like to. I find myself trying to pre-think our imaginative play, to lead the storyline in one direction or another, instead of just letting go and letting the play take it’s own course. It’s something that I’m working on, I consider myself a creative person but I’d like my creativity to be more organic instead of pre-planned.

I’d love to be as creatively free as my 5 year old. She inspires me.

Tell me… What fuel’s your and your children’s creative fires? What are some of your favorite creative activities? Are you good at creative play?