FIVE WAYS TO FOSTER YOUR CHILD’S CREATIVITY
The new age is for the people who create! The Artists, The Entrepreneurs, The Innovators. Many jobs that are currently in demand did not even exist twenty years ago. This could be the case in the future as well. What our children need is a strong foundation of adaptability and creativity so that they can still grow when the world eventually shifts.
Children have a powerful imagination; this is the stage in which they make sense of their surroundings. Their fallacy about the world is the first thing that stimulates their imagination, they are always questioning why something is the way it is. As parents, we have to make sure that our child does not lose this vibrance. It is this zest for knowledge that will steer them to become better human beings.
Many people believe that creativity is an inborn trait, that some possess and some don’t, this is simply not true, much like every other skill, creativity can be practiced. It is not limited to drawing, dancing, or making music, creativity resides in everyone, we just have to nourish it. Each person walks differently, eats differently, and even sleeps differently, creativity can be found in the most menial of things. All we have to do is have an understanding of how we can germinate this trait to our children for them to flourish.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways to support a child’s creativity
Stimulate their curiosity
Children are born curious and sometimes their mind thinks about things that we ourselves might not have thought about. When they are exposed to different subjects, they will have a lot more domains to be curious about. Children should be intimated with art, culture, and literature at a young age so that their fields of interest would also be different.
Introduce children to reading for pleasure
Reading is an activity that can be highly beneficial for cultivating creativity in a child. Reading can help your child to understand and express their thoughts better, when they read a story, their mind has to do all the work, from imagining how a person, place, or thing would look like, to understanding the reasoning behind why a character behaved the way they did in a story, their minds are constantly stimulated. This can lead to the development of logical and critical thinking.
Introduce them to coding
Programming is the future of technology, and coding is considered one of the most important skills of the century. At first, the idea of teaching children to code might raise some eyebrows, but technology has advanced and there are simpler methods for teaching kids to code. Just like most other branches of academics, the basics can be taught to children even when they are in the primary grade. Coding forces the children to think logically. For building software and games, it demands the brain to think creatively and expressively. Coding develops systemic thinking in the minds of children. This type of thinking allows a child to understand how different components in a system functions together as a whole.
Learning to code is like learning a new language, it works as a new foundation for them to work on. Through coding children are forced to use the two hemispheres of their brain, the left hemisphere for logical and analytical processes and the right for creativity. There are various online coding courses available for children to learn coding from, Cyber Square is one of the better platforms available that can teach children to code using games, puzzles, and storytelling.
Prioritize your children’s ability to solve their own problems
A child-centered approach to parenting is important if we are to expect a surge in creativity from them, a child-centered approach is simply fostering the autonomy and initiative in a child which in turn will benefit their creativity. When children are taught to solve their own problems instead of resorting to the parents entirely, they are likely to develop autonomy and skill for problem-solving and critical thinking.
Give them plenty of time for leisure
It is important that we give the children some space to explore their own imagination and learn free from the world around them. Let the child have time to roam around in the house or outside without having to do any particular task, let them take the time to find entertainment in anything that piques their interest. Having this free time of leisure can greatly benefit their mental health and have in the process nourish their creativity.
Give them space for creating
Giving your child a specific space for creating can help them to have a structure in their life and helps the process to be more methodical. This specific workspace doesn’t have to be anything extravagant; some tools for creating the things that they are interested in, for example, paper and colors if the child has an interest in creating art, or a computer if coding is their interest. Having a designated place for creating can help in a way because, there will be a subconscious pull in their mind when they enter this place, reminding them that this is a place of creativity.
Help kids pursue their interests
Keep your child’s interests as a top priority and make these resources and activities available to them. Children are the most creative when they are doing what they love, always make sure that the child will also enjoy the activity that you want them to do.
Creativity in kids is truly essential to their development since it urges them to enjoy and explore new things, this added layer of an attribute can help to reach great heights, and it is our duty as parents to foster such a trait.
