Everyone has the ability to be creative in some capacity. By fostering a child's creative muscles, he or she might develop more than just a hobby. Here are some tips to help unearth children's interests and encourage their creativity:

•Visual art. Keep an ample supply of craft items on hand. Limit coloring books; instead, offer crayons, markers, colored pencils and paper. Attend art classes and local art shows. Talk to artists.

•Writing. Ask a child to suggest alternate endings to the book he or she is reading. Write captions for pictures pulled from a magazine. Write a book or short story together.

•Drama. Make or buy a puppet stage and put on a show. Give a child a video camera. Take an acting or production class. Take in a live theater performance.

•Music. Listen to a variety of music at home and in the car. Attend local concerts. Play musical games. Find a good music teacher.

•Dance. Parents can put on some music and dance with their child as well as teach them dances they used to do. Enroll the child in a class. Parents can observe so they'll have something to talk about on the way home.

This story is provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.