Will your child design her own brand someday?

Tapping into your child’s creative potential is more important than you may think.

Years ago I went to my first Licensing Show. All the big named brands were there, Disney, Nick, Mattel, Discovery. What I realized is they weren’t there selling merchandise, but rather they were licensing their brand. A few days ago, my daughter, Laura, and I went to the 2012 International Licensing Show in Vegas. Instead of just walking around as an observer, we finally went as participants – we had scheduled meetings throughout the days for our brand, Discovery Kids Puterbugs.

As an educator turned entrepreneur, I keep on thinking of today’s kids: Laura and I wondered -- what are we doing to inspire them to reach their creative potential?

Then as I was sitting on Laura’s patio overlooking the Rocky Mountains, her neighbor drove up on her 4 wheeler and without realizing it, presented us with a perfect example. She asked me if I wanted to see her daughter’s song. I just assumed she was going to pull out a piece of paper with the song. Instead, she whipped out her phone and showed me the video of her ten year old daughter, Isabella, singing “Mountain Girl”. She created it when her mom turned off the TV and told her to go doodle.

I thought to myself - this mom gets it. A simple directive to go do something instead of sitting and being passive can have such a positive impact on your child. The mom was equally as pleased, saying, “If I never told my daughter to get up and do something, she would have sat in front of the TV for hours. Now I have a beautiful song.”

By encouraging our kids to be creative is crucial for developing their creative genius. As a parent, prompt them and then praise their creativity. Their own creative work is an extension of their being. Some children are embarrassed to display their creative side because it is a risk. When they put their thoughts and creative side out there, someone may criticize it, and that’s a direct reflection of them. Whether it’s artwork, a song, a book -- it is so important that they should hear you telling others about their creation. Wait until Isabella hears from me how great it was to have her mom show us the video. That will make her shine with confidence. On the flipside, one negative comment will crush them and will take a lot for them to ever share something creative.

It is the kids who think creatively who will one day have their OWN brand at the Licensing Show. What will you be doing today to prompt your child’s creative side?