I leave for work fairly early in the morning. Before I go (or the night before) I like to leave my son a little ‘good morning son’ message. It’s just a bit of fun, a sketch (I am not an artist) or a poem (I think I am a writer) or both (I am a bit daft).

The idea to leave sketches came about when we were talking about stories and drawing. I’d noticed that whilst he was keen on drawing, my son was scribbling out “mistakes” or just throwing his paper away. Apart from being a waste of paper (I’ve turned into my dad), I saw that it was hindering his creativity. If he was spending too much time throwing his work away he wasn’t gaining the confidence to just figure out ideas as he went.

So I decided to get a chalkboard. My reasoning (a bit like when my parents bought me a home computer thinking I could learn on it) was that he would spend hours doodling and becoming an incredible artist.

It hasn’t worked out quite that way.

He enjoys my sketches (and I find useful to scribble away at a sketch until it looks more or less like the image I have in my head) and sometimes he adds to it. It’s now a process which has brought us closer. He is enjoying the humour and the chance to tell his own stories based on whatever the sketch of the day is. And he likes to tell people that he does them at the weekend (he sometimes does from time to time and they are fun).

So whilst the outcome is different what I had in mind, I think a chalk and board is the best way to encourage creativity in young children. And the fun bit? You needn’t ever grow out of it.