By Aviva Patz

Children are naturally creative: Their napkins become hats, their drinks are magic potions, and ketchup turns into paint. But aside from being endlessly entertaining, creativity is also critical to their developing brains. Creative and artistic experiences help kids express their feelings and come up with new ideas and ways to solve problems. Studies show that involvement in the arts boosts test scores and promotes academic achievement across the board.

These discoveries may explain why children’s art studios are popping up across the country, giving kids a chance to let their imaginations run wild with paint, clay,  and in the case of Make-a-Messterpiece in Glenview, Ill., even bubbles. In addition to private studios (such as KidsArt in California and Washington) and foundations (such as Creative Art Space for Kids in New York), many YMCA branches and local art museums offer art programs.

You can also get your child’s creative juices flowing at home with some very basic art supplies and the right attitude. Bring out the creative genius in your children with these simple tips.

Start With a Blank Slate
Leave projects open-ended so kids are free to imagine the endless possibilities. For example, if you’re painting pumpkins, don’t paint one first as an example, because your kids are likely to try to copy it, quashing their creativity. Instead, simply give children paint and paintbrushes and let them begin. Keep in mind that there are no wrong ways to paint a pumpkin.

Forget Perfection
Focus on the creative process rather than the finished product. For example, your child may find tremendous fun and fulfillment in shaping, squishing, pounding and poking at clay for an hour — even if the end result is a shapeless lump.

Don’t Mind the Mess
Art is not a neat business, and nothing stifles creativity faster than a wet mop or a dustpan underfoot. Let your child get dirty — that’s how she’ll learn to take risks. (Plus, it’s fun!) You can wipe up the glitter later.

Mix It up
Spice up your at-home art projects by using different materials instead of the usual paint, felt, pipe cleaners and beads. Challenge your children to find art supplies in their environment: a sponge, chopsticks, gum wrappers, bottle caps and egg cartons, for example. Head outside and collect leaves, sticks, acorns and small pebbles. Supply children with glue and paper and give no other direction. Be ready for anything.

Expose Them to Diversity
Take trips to museums and zoos; see plays and concerts; attend an African drumming circle, a Mexican fiesta, a Chinese New Year celebration. Every experience your children have with people or situations outside their normal routine widens their range of creative expression.

Make Music
Encourage experimentation with musical instruments without showing how it’s done. Let her play piano with her toes or beat the drum with maracas if she wants. You can make your own instruments too. Dried beans in a toilet paper tube make a great shaker; waxed paper secured over a coffee can is a drum; rubber bands stretched over a shoebox make a guitar. Grab an instrument and play along for a fun family hootenanny.

Allow for Unconventional Ideas
Thinking outside the box is what creativity is all about. When kids come up with a new way of doing things — making a sculpture out of plastic hangers, for instance — go with it (as long as it’s safe, of course). Your support will encourage more creative thinking and problem solving down the road.

The next time you’re tempted by a bag of potato chips, check to see if your kids are around — because the old adage “do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t work when it comes to teaching children healthy eating habits.

In a recent study, 120 children, age 2 to 6 years, were invited to shop for play food in a play grocery store stocked with everything from fruits and vegetables to sodas and junk food. What did the kids purchase? The same stuff they see their parents buying and eating. “Parents need to be aware that the choices they make do have an impact on their kids, and kids start to learn food behaviors and patterns at a very early age,” says study leader Lisa Sutherland, Ph.D., of the Hood Center for Children and Families at Dartmouth College, in N.H. To raise a kid who grows up loving broccoli and whole grains, consider the following:

Be a good role model As the study shows, kids will mirror your own eating habits. So let them see you eating whole-grain toast at breakfast, enjoying a piece of fruit for a snack and filling up on veggies at dinner. If you can’t give up your cookies and soda, try to eat them when the kids are in bed and keep them out of sight in your cupboard.

Combine favorites with the unfamiliar “Don’t just always serve their favorite food,” advises Melinda Johnson, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “At a meal, mix their favorites with what you’re trying to challenge them with.” And don’t give up after the first time your child rejects a food. “Don’t force them [to eat it], but keep offering it to them,” says Sutherland. “You might have to [offer] new things eight times before a kid will eat it.”

Follow the “Rule of Three” At each meal, try to include at least three of the following food groups from the USDA food pyramid: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat/beans. A snack can consist of two food groups.

Make grocery shopping a fun learning experience Let young children pick out their favorite fruits; older kids can learn math concepts, like finding the best value or comparing nutrition labels.

Involve kids in the kitchen Letting your children help with the cooking can give them a better understanding of food, notes Sutherland. Johnson agrees: “The more kids get involved, the more likely they’ll eat and appreciate the food once it shows up on their plate. Plus, you’re teaching them cooking skills.”

Allow for occasional junk Insisting that your children eat only healthy foods can backfire, leading to lunch-swapping and overindulging when you’re out of sight. Instead, teach them a healthy balance by allowing them to have the occasional treat, even if it’s something that’s not good for them. Johnson recommends a blend of 90 percent relatively healthy food and 10 percent junk food and other treats.

So put away the potato chips and instead invite your child to the kitchen to help you prepare a healthy snack, such as whole-wheat pita with hummus and carrot sticks.“Your child isn’t going to end up eating better than you do,” says Johnson. So if you want him to eat well, “you have to eat the way you want your child to eat.” Not only will you both benefit today, but it will lay the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy eating for your child.

Jessica Goldbogen Harlan Jessica Goldbogen Harlan is an Atlanta-based writer and recipe developer specializing in nutrition and healthy eating. Jessica is the cooking equipment guide for About.com (online) and has written for numerous publications and Web sites, including Pilates Style, Arthritis Today, Clean Eating, Lime and iVillage.

The next time you’re tempted by a bag of potato chips, check to see if your kids are around — because the old adage “do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t work when it comes to teaching children healthy eating habits.

In a recent study, 120 children, age 2 to 6 years, were invited to shop for play food in a play grocery store stocked with everything from fruits and vegetables to sodas and junk food. What did the kids purchase? The same stuff they see their parents buying and eating.

“Parents need to be aware that the choices they make do have an impact on their kids, and kids start to learn food behaviors and patterns at a very early age,” says study leader Lisa Sutherland, Ph.D., of the Hood Center for Children and Families at Dartmouth College, in N.H.

Melinda Johnson, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, agrees. “Your child isn’t going to end up eating better than you do,” she says. So if you want him to eat well, “you have to eat the way you want your child to eat.”

To raise a kid who grows up loving broccoli and whole grains, consider the following:

Be a good role model As the study shows, kids will mirror your own eating habits. So let them see you eating whole-grain toast at breakfast, enjoying a piece of fruit for a snack and filling up on veggies at dinner. If you can’t give up your cookies and soda, try to eat them when the kids are in bed and keep them out of sight in your cupboard.

Combine favorites with the unfamiliar “Don’t just always serve their favorite food,” advises Johnson. “At a meal, mix their favorites with what you’re trying to challenge them with.” And don’t give up after the first time your child rejects a food. “Don’t force them [to eat it], but keep offering it to them,” says Sutherland. “You might have to [offer] new things eight times before a kid will eat it.”

Follow the “Rule of Three” At each meal, try to include at least three of the following food groups from the USDA food pyramid: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat/beans. A snack can consist of two food groups.

Make grocery shopping a fun learning experience Let young children pick out their favorite fruits; older kids can learn math concepts, like finding the best value or comparing nutrition labels.

Involve kids in the kitchen Letting your children help with the cooking can give them a better understanding of food, notes Sutherland. Johnson agrees: “The more kids get involved, the more likely they’ll eat and appreciate the food once it shows up on their plate. Plus, you’re teaching them cooking skills.”

Allow for occasional junk Insisting that your children eat only healthy foods can backfire, leading to lunch-swapping and overindulging when you’re out of sight. Instead, teach them a healthy balance by allowing them to have the occasional treat, even if it’s something that’s not good for them. Johnson recommends a blend of 90 percent relatively healthy food and 10 percent junk food and other treats.

So put away the potato chips and instead invite your child to the kitchen to help you prepare a healthy snack, such as whole-wheat pita with hummus and carrot sticks. Not only will you both benefit today, but it will lay the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy eating for your child.

Jessica Goldbogen Harlan Jessica Goldbogen Harlan is an Atlanta-based writer and recipe developer specializing in nutrition and healthy eating. Jessica is the cooking equipment guide for About.com (online) and has written for numerous publications and Web sites, including Pilates Style, Arthritis Today, Clean Eating, Lime and iVillage.