Monday, March 28, 2011
Nurture Creativity in Your Children
Many parents are concerned that creativity skills are at risk among kids today because of too much time in front of the screen, television or games, and too much emphasis on learning by rote and standardized testing. Is creativity really that important?
All children start with the ability to be creative. But if it’s not used and encouraged, research shows that by age 10 many have lost up to 70% of their creative skills. This won’t just affect their ability to enjoy play, but as adults their ability to be creative thinkers and problem solvers will be hampered. Those of us who live in the Silicon Valley know how important innovating thinking is in the current and future job market.
How can parents nurture creativity? Here are some of our favorite “creative” suggestions:
Don’t place needless limits, rules, and restrictions on your children when they’re playing or trying to solve a problem. Have you ever noticed when you give a child a toy, they often spend more time playing with the box? That’s because the toy has a limited number of uses, the box however has limitless possibilities for a child with an imagination. This requires a conscious effort on the part of the parent and a great deal of patience, especially if you have a tendency to micromanage everything.
Remember that it’s not about getting the right answer but learning a skill. The sense of satisfaction in conquering a problem motivates the creative process, not the finished product. The experimentation nurtures the creativity. As a parent then, don’t emphasize the end results or try to influence them to do it in a prescribed way. Encourage the process of learning.
Let them make mistakes. We all learn the most from our mistakes and striving for perfection is one of the greatest hindrances to anyone getting anything done in life. So as parents we don’t want to impose that on our kids.
Don’t stifle their natural tendencies toward humor, silliness, daydreaming, or curiosity. Let them be children, not expecting them to be little adults. All of these are important to the creative process.
Respect your child’s right to be who they are. Rather than taking everything as a reflection of your parenting skills, take pride in who your children are. Of course, if you see something that needs correction in order for your children to get a long with others or be a good person, then you’ll have to give the direction needed. Otherwise, give commendation a lot more than criticism.
Speak positively about being creative. Expressions such as - “It’s fun trying something new”, “There’s more than one way to do things”, “Here are the art materials you can use, let’s see what you can do with them” – let your children know you give them the freedom to do it their way and that you’re confident they’ll come up with something wonderful.
Encourage story telling and make believe. Try creating your own new words to popular songs or poems. Children especially love to personalize them
Take your children to museums that encourage creativity like The Bay Area Discovery Museum. It’s dedicated to developing creativity in all children and it’s a fun place to be for the whole family. Click here, for more fun suggestion for spring break activities in the Silicon Valley.
Give a “Creativity Party” for your children and their friends. Supply a container with ordinary items that are safe for the age of the children – crayons, paints, a selection of paper, glitter, fabric, buttons, yarn, cardboard tubes from the rolls of paper towels, empty squeeze bottles from catsup, wooden spoons, paper clips, cardboard, wheels off of broken toys, different sizes of pieces of wood, plastic pop bottles – and let them choose 5 items to make something. (Put plastic tarps over tables for easy cleanup.) After they’re done creating their masterpieces, have each one stand up and tell about what they’ve done. Make sure everyone claps and praises each child enthusiastically.
Parenting is a huge job and you only get one chance to get it right. If you’ve been encouraging the creative spark in your children, you’ll be rewarded with a happier and a smarter kid. If you would like to free up some time, contact Simplify. By allowing our home concierge services to help you care for some of your needs, you can spend time with the people that are most important in your life.
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