Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,150,466 members, 7,808,663 topics. Date: Thursday, 25 April 2024 at 03:06 PM

How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability - Family - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Family / How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability (13506 Views)

Is It By Force To Take Your Child To Santa? (Photo) / Raising A Child To Speak English In Nigeria: Is It Proper? / When Is it Right For A Child To Own A Cell Phone. (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (Reply) (Go Down)

How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Nehemiah459(m): 8:15am On Jun 28, 2014
Kids are natural innovators with powerful imaginations. And creativity offers a bounty of intellectual, emotional and even health benefits.

One study found that kids’ imaginations helped them cope better with pain. Creativity also helps kids be more confident, develop social skills, and learn better.

Below, three experts share how parents can encourage their kids’ creativity.

1. Designate a space for creating. Carving out a space where your child can be creative is important, said Pam Allyn, executive director of Lit World and Lit Life and the author of many books, including Your Child’s Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age.

But this doesn’t mean having a fancy playroom. It could be a tiny corner with a sack of LEGOs or a box of your old clothes for playing dress-up, she said. Allyn has seen creativity flourish in the most cramped spaces, including the slums of Kenya. The key is for your child to feel like they have power over their space, she said.

2. Keep it simple. Just like you don’t need to create an elaborate play area, you don’t need the latest and greatest toys either. Child educational psychologist Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D, suggested keeping simple games and activities. For instance, she plays LEGOs with her child clients. But instead of following instructions, the kids let the wheels of their imagination spin and build what they want.

3. Allow for “free time.” It’s also important to give your child unstructured time, Allyn said. Spend a few hours at home without activities scheduled, so your child can just putter around and play, she said.

4. Help your kids activate their senses. Expose your kids to the world so they can use all of their senses. Again, this doesn’t mean costly or complicated trips. Take them to the library, museum and outdoors, she said. Ask them to imagine what travelling to faraway places, such as the African safari, might be like, Reznick said. What animals would they encounter? What would the safari look like? What would it smell like? What noises would the animals make?

5. Discuss creativity. Ask your kids when they come up with their best ideas or have their most creative moments, If it’s in the car while getting to soccer practice, honor that by keeping a notebook, iPad or even a tape recorder handy.

6. Cultivate creative critical thinking. As your kids get older, ask them how they approach certain problems and how they might do things differently. Have your kids brainstorm their ideas on paper or use mind-mapping, she said.

7. Avoid managing. “Children have an amazing innate ability to be creative when they play freely on their own, and unfortunately, the act of overparenting dampens or even wipes out that innate ability,” So it’s important to figure out how to facilitate your child’s creativity without managing it, he said.

Lanza and his wife don’t hover over their three boys as they play, and they also don’t enrol them in many activities. Recently, Lanza’s oldest son invented an intricate game of marbles with its own complex rules. (As Lanza said, he doesn’t really understand it.) He’s even adjusted the rules so that his younger brother can win once in a while and the game continues.

Kids learn a lot by playing on their own. Lanza cited Jean Piaget’s The Moral Judgment of the Child, where he discusses “how children develop moral sensibilities and reasoning through playing marbles on their own.”

He also mentioned Alison Gopnik’s The Philosophical Baby, which describes how babies’ brains work. Gopnik asserts that babies are born experimental scientists that take in scrolls of information by trying things on their own and tweaking as they go. Being more hands-off helps kids figure out how to problem-solve and create in their own unique ways.

8. Help kids pursue their passions. Pay attention to your child’s interests and make these materials and activities available to them. Lanza’s oldest son is especially interested in geology, so Lanza buys him books on the topic along with rock samples.

9. Take the time for your own creativity. Since kids learn from watching their parents, be creative, too, Reznick said. Join your child when they’re drawing or building or coloring.

One little girl wanted her parents to help her build an art jungle in the living room, she said. At first mom was hesitant. But this provided a great opportunity for the family to bond, and everyone had a fun time.

Copied From: http://www.studentsdiary.net/articles/help-child-improve-his-her-creative-ability/

6 Likes

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by myads890(m): 9:18am On Jun 28, 2014
Lovely write up. @op you didn't mention "never tell them it can't be done". Parents usually feel that because they didn't achieve something, their kids can't.

As they say, never tell your child something is impossible because the whole world might be waiting for that child to make it possible.

13 Likes

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Nehemiah459(m): 3:34pm On Jun 28, 2014
myads890: Lovely write up. @op you didn't mention "never tell them it can't be done". Parents usually feel that because they didn't achieve something, their kids can't.

As they say, never tell your child something is impossible because the whole world might be waiting for that child to make it possible.
Thanks for chipping in that.

1 Like

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by myads890(m): 4:14pm On Jun 28, 2014
Anytime

Nehemiah459:
Thanks for chipping in that.
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Adenugay(m): 7:35pm On Jun 28, 2014
Good points









Dele Momodu’s second son, ENITANYOLE graduates from Charterhouse School in Surrey (photos)

>>>> http://www./entertainment/dele-momodus-second-son-enitanyole-graduates/
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Adenugay(m): 7:35pm On Jun 28, 2014
myads890: Lovely write up. @op you didn't mention "never tell them it can't be done". Parents usually feel that because they didn't achieve something, their kids can't.

As they say, never tell your child something is impossible because the whole world might be waiting for that child to make it possible.
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by cr8v(f): 7:36pm On Jun 28, 2014
Mentorship matters. Present a model with their same passion, and remember sometimes schools destroy creativity thats why most inventors are drop outs. So while they attend school create another form of education that does not involve mere paper results but setting goals and achieving them.
Creativity comes with a price. See some of our creative designs

4 Likes

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by TRADELYN: 7:40pm On Jun 28, 2014
shocked KIV
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by DikSin(m): 7:42pm On Jun 28, 2014
Don't need this now.

Hope I'll be able to find this "post" when the need for it arise This one seun crash, sorry nairaland crash for few day and we lost data of more than four months... Hmmn! It is well o
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by ednut1(m): 7:45pm On Jun 28, 2014
i remember wen i used to get 4/40 in exams. in pry 1. my dad got me a lesson teacher and beat d crap out of me. i had no choice dan to bcom brilliant. from pry 2 to university. was always in d top 5. hehehe. cane works

4 Likes

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by DikSin(m): 7:47pm On Jun 28, 2014
DikSin: Don't need this now.

Hope I'll be able to find this "post" when the need for it arise This one seun crash, sorry nairaland crash for few day and we lost data of more than four months... Hmmn! It is well o

Abeg na who get flash drive for here??
These days na all man for hinsef o!

If I don't back up my posts, who will undecided

11 Likes 1 Share

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by iceberylin(m): 7:50pm On Jun 28, 2014
DikSin:
Abeg na who get flash drive for here??
These days na all man for hinsef o!
If I don't back up my posts, who will undecided
ђāђāђā.....


ƒųŋŋįęşţ poşţ.... grin
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by myspnigeria: 8:17pm On Jun 28, 2014
great post.... bravo
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Nobody: 8:20pm On Jun 28, 2014
Ok,by next year IJN,I will be interested in this article.

1 Like

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Atk1nson(m): 8:39pm On Jun 28, 2014
DikSin:

Abeg na who get flash drive for here??
These days na all man for hinsef o!

If I don't back up my posts, who will undecided
funny guy
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by shaggy007(m): 9:01pm On Jun 28, 2014
By keeping them off from watching Nollywood movies.

4 Likes

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by technophile(m): 9:19pm On Jun 28, 2014
9ce 1
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by YoungDaNaval(m): 9:23pm On Jun 28, 2014
@OP, you tried. Doro_9ice!
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Karleb(m): 9:59pm On Jun 28, 2014
kiss
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by checkdate(m): 10:34pm On Jun 28, 2014
Nehemiah459: Kids are natural innovators with powerful imaginations. And creativity offers a bounty of intellectual, emotional and even health benefits.

One study found that kids’ imaginations helped them cope better with pain. Creativity also helps kids be more confident, develop social skills, and learn better.

Below, three experts share how parents can encourage their kids’ creativity.

1. Designate a space for creating. Carving out a space where your child can be creative is important, said Pam Allyn, executive director of Lit World and Lit Life and the author of many books, including Your Child’s Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age.

But this doesn’t mean having a fancy playroom. It could be a tiny corner with a sack of LEGOs or a box of your old clothes for playing dress-up, she said. Allyn has seen creativity flourish in the most cramped spaces, including the slums of Kenya. The key is for your child to feel like they have power over their space, she said.

2. Keep it simple. Just like you don’t need to create an elaborate play area, you don’t need the latest and greatest toys either. Child educational psychologist Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D, suggested keeping simple games and activities. For instance, she plays LEGOs with her child clients. But instead of following instructions, the kids let the wheels of their imagination spin and build what they want.

3. Allow for “free time.” It’s also important to give your child unstructured time, Allyn said. Spend a few hours at home without activities scheduled, so your child can just putter around and play, she said.

4. Help your kids activate their senses. Expose your kids to the world so they can use all of their senses. Again, this doesn’t mean costly or complicated trips. Take them to the library, museum and outdoors, she said. Ask them to imagine what travelling to faraway places, such as the African safari, might be like, Reznick said. What animals would they encounter? What would the safari look like? What would it smell like? What noises would the animals make?

5. Discuss creativity. Ask your kids when they come up with their best ideas or have their most creative moments, If it’s in the car while getting to soccer practice, honor that by keeping a notebook, iPad or even a tape recorder handy.

6. Cultivate creative critical thinking. As your kids get older, ask them how they approach certain problems and how they might do things differently. Have your kids brainstorm their ideas on paper or use mind-mapping, she said.

7. Avoid managing. “Children have an amazing innate ability to be creative when they play freely on their own, and unfortunately, the act of overparenting dampens or even wipes out that innate ability,” So it’s important to figure out how to facilitate your child’s creativity without managing it, he said.

Lanza and his wife don’t hover over their three boys as they play, and they also don’t enrol them in many activities. Recently, Lanza’s oldest son invented an intricate game of marbles with its own complex rules. (As Lanza said, he doesn’t really understand it.) He’s even adjusted the rules so that his younger brother can win once in a while and the game continues.

Kids learn a lot by playing on their own. Lanza cited Jean Piaget’s The Moral Judgment of the Child, where he discusses “how children develop moral sensibilities and reasoning through playing marbles on their own.”

He also mentioned Alison Gopnik’s The Philosophical Baby, which describes how babies’ brains work. Gopnik asserts that babies are born experimental scientists that take in scrolls of information by trying things on their own and tweaking as they go. Being more hands-off helps kids figure out how to problem-solve and create in their own unique ways.

8. Help kids pursue their passions. Pay attention to your child’s interests and make these materials and activities available to them. Lanza’s oldest son is especially interested in geology, so Lanza buys him books on the topic along with rock samples.

9. Take the time for your own creativity. Since kids learn from watching their parents, be creative, too, Reznick said. Join your child when they’re drawing or building or coloring.

One little girl wanted her parents to help her build an art jungle in the living room, she said. At first mom was hesitant. But this provided a great opportunity for the family to bond, and everyone had a fun time.

Copied From: http://www.studentsdiary.net/articles/help-child-improve-his-her-creative-ability/
I LOVE THIS SUBJECT.
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by judyeze1: 10:52pm On Jun 28, 2014

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Nobody: 11:21pm On Jun 28, 2014
Seun, #Bringbackourlikes, #peacefulprotest
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by ril19(m): 11:45pm On Jun 28, 2014
Too much of everything is bad......, @ "overparenting". Y'all take note.
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by God2man(m): 12:11am On Jun 29, 2014
Hmnnnnn
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by jbanj4(m): 2:21am On Jun 29, 2014
#Saved #Heard
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by emmabest2000(m): 3:56am On Jun 29, 2014
Ok
Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by dre11(m): 6:37am On Jun 29, 2014
As u care for their physical well do......

Don't neglect their spiritual aspect too
balance the two and u see your child shoot for the sun and not stars only

2 Likes

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by Onegai(f): 7:27am On Jun 29, 2014
I'll never forget my dad having my oldest (already in uni) brother (with his short temper) teach me Math in primary school (because I wasn't doing well). Talk about setting up a life-long hatred of Math (even though I did a mathematical-based course in uni, also forced on me). Meanwhile, everyone and their grandfather saw me draw on any surface nearby. Nobody thought to themselves "let's encourage this". That is how most Naija parents think, then wonder why prodigies continually come out of the West and not Africa.

Luckily, there's a change I'm seeing (mostly in some middle to upper-class families) letting their kids be free and encouraging their talents and creativity. I know a girl who's now an Opera singer in France (because her parents didn't foolishly stop her when she wanted to graduate from churchsinging to MUSON), some gifted young violinists (thanks Apostolic church and MFM for giving them a chance), an incredible female artist, a great cake maker (she's so good and popular in upscale areas), party-planner whose raking in cash (her dad is an art-lover, he surrounded her with creativity), some great dancers (they struggled against their parents though) and more. Even my sis who liked sewing as a child is now in the UK teaching it as a college course (she was encouraged as a kid and given samplers and sewing kits like EasyStitch).

Btw, alll the toys and houses we used to construct out of cornflakes, sugar and toothpaste packets, helped 2 of my brothers and I be more creative than anyone else (making us an artist and business consultant, an aeronautical engineer and an oil-n-gas corporate lawyer and headhunter). So, yeah, encourage your babies.

7 Likes

Re: How To Help A Child To Improve His/her Creative Ability by roqrules04(m): 4:42pm On Jun 29, 2014
Reduce the rate at which they watch Telemundo.

(1) (2) (Reply)

My Parents Forgot My Birthday / Men-A Better Whip To Beat Your Wife-( Women how do you whip your partner?) / Is It Advisable To Tell My Wife How Much I Earn Per Month?

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 44
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.