5 Tips to Promote Creativity
Posted on Thu, Mar 24, 2011
I was chatting with my son's kindergarten teacher the other day and she reminded me of something I've long believed: creativity is dying in our children. Children are growing up in such a programmed, over-scheduled way. They need opportunities to just play, and allow their imaginations to dictate what they do next. So here is my list of ways to promote creativity in your children.
1. Engage them in pretend play. Pretend to cook, pretend to eat the foods your child "makes." Much of this may start with them simply mimicking you, but keep trying and eventually they will initiate the pretend play.
2. Don't always teach the "right" way to do something. Blocks don't have to be stacked into perfect towers, cars don't have to be driven forward, paint colors don't have to be kept separate from one another. The more experimentation we allow (and encourage), the more creativity we're fostering.
3. Ask lots of questions about stories you read together: why do you think that happened? Why do you think she did that? Validate your child's responses--"maybe you're right." "You think so?" And offer some different responses of your own.
4. Follow your child's lead. "You want to play with blocks? Great! What are you going to make? It's a castle? Who lives there? Which part is the bedroom? Where's the door?"
5. Provide lots of blank paper and writing utensils. I'm amazed at what children will create with nothing more than this. Instead of asking "what did you make," say "tell me about this blue part." That way, we don't convey an opinion that the art is "not very good" because we can't tell what it is. If you ask the right way, they will always have a specific explanation about what they've drawn.
Finally, set a time for your children to entertain themselves. Start small--maybe 30 minutes--and build from there. Don't feel like you always have to provide the entertainment for them--when left to their own devices, their creativity will really blossom.
-posted by Amy Shinohara, Director of Hearts & Minds Music
