Psychologist and Scientist Shamini Jain, Ph.D joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom with ways to help your children heal through creativity.

She has four simple tips to launch your little ones into being more creative.

1.  Let your child lead – Part of creativity is not knowing where you’re going to go and being willing to “go with the flow”.  Ask your child if there is an activity, like making a craft, drawing, making a meal, dancing, singing, or some other creative activity they’d like to do with you. If they can’t or won’t think of something, give them three options, and let them pick.

2.  Listen, learn and follow – Children are naturally creative and bring joy to us when we observe them. They also enjoy the opportunity to lead when they can in families, as it helps them feel “heard”.  Plus when we observe our children being creative, it sparks our own creative flow as well! Assuming your child is not pouring sticky juice all over your best silk rug or your partner’s favorite musical instrument, do your best to follow their energy and complement what they are doing with their creative energy.

3.  Be vulnerable – Let’s face it – not all of us are professional artists.  Some of us still draw stick figures! Don’t try to impress your child with your artistic ability – instead, allow yourself to just create what comes to you  – even if you think you’re not “good” at the activity.  You’ll be modeling for your child that you don’t have to be perfect to enjoy the benefits of creativity, and you may even get a few laughs!

4.  Savor the moment – The beauty of creativity is that it helps bring us into a “flow” state, beyond our ever-thinking mind. We can open to awe and enjoy the present moment.  Enjoy these moments of creativity with your child and know you’re creating positive memories that will last a lifetime.

Bloom airs in 40 more markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.

You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8.