CREATIVITY
Pretend that you are speaking to your parent group on creativity. They ask you for important things that they can do at home to enhance their children's creativity. Specifically, what three suggestions do you recommend? Keep in mind the assigned readings when you respond.
The list of things you can do to foster your child's creativity is endless! In the early years of a child's life, their brain is like a sponge-so EAGER to learn, one cannot help but want to search out the creativity in everyday moments for the child to absorb!
ReplyDeleteHere are just a few:
(1): FOCUS ON THE 5 SENSES
As adults, many times we may miss, or filter out some information in our everyday lives that we may not see as pertinent to the task at hand; When in all actuality, to a child, EVERY piece of EVERYDAY life is extraordinarily vital to the task at hand....Discovery! Making art is important, but sometimes an equally enriching experience is to feed the 5 senses as a means of inspiration. Just going to a fruit market, watching pigeons, touching feathers, spelling candles at the market, etc. can be a very enriching experience for young children.
(2) CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT INVITES EXPLORATION:
In many cases, have a suitable environment conducive to learning can make all the difference to the learning experience. You don't need a lot of money to achieve such a desired area either. In fact, using recycled materials and things found in nature instead of prefabricated containers, costumes and store-bought "cha-chas" allow the child to feel less restricted to what the "appropriate way" is to use the materials displayed.
CLIMATE
The other half of having an environment that's conducive to creativity is the way it is monitored and controlled. According to Edwards, "The/ atmosphere should reflect the [parents'] encouragement and acceptace of mistakes, risk-taking, innovation, and uniqueness, along with a certain amount of mess, noise and freedom." This involves an aquired balance- between control of the space, and encouraging such chaos that goes along with these creative discoveries.
(3) TAKE A BACKSEAT!
Parents: don't be afraid to take a backseat! Sometimes too much structure or investing too much thought into expecting a certain outcome may not be a good idea. Have a general idea in mind OR better yet, let your children work it out together.
If necessary, when the moment is right, pose a question to further the investigation of something that has just sparked their interest! Do not put a time limit on such self-initated discoveries- open-ended projects and problem solving can lead children into some in-depth critical thinking skills that just fuel the children's creativity. Many times, being there, observing and taking cues from children, being invovled on the "outsider" level is the perfect kind of reassurance that your children need to allow their creativity to thrive!
Providing a creative environment at school and at home is essential to a child's growth and learning. I truly believe that there are some ways in which parents can enhance a child's creativity at home. In Encouraging Creativity in Early Childhood Classrooms, Edwards outlines various ways in which children learn and what a teacher can apply to their classroom. This aspects can also be modified to aid in providing parents the tools to creating a more creative environment for their children. I feel the first thing that parents need to remember is that their child is more capable developmentally than we tend to think. To further enhance their abilities parents can allow for situations when the child needs to use higher thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These skills can be applied to a number of things. As long as the parents are getting their child to think more and come up with their own ideas/interpretations, the child is being more creative. Another great way parents can enhance their child's creativity is by exposing them to more situations and subjects. There are so many areas that can be considered creative (drawings, construction, music, dramatic play, dress up, visiting parks, museums, etc. to name a few). Another way to enhance creativity is for parents to allow the child to lead and 'go with the flow'. By letting the child take the reins, parents are enabling their creativity. There are far more things that parents can do, but I feel these are truly important when building a foundation.
ReplyDeleteThrough my babysitting job, I have learned that the school the boy is attending-does send home homework that involves something only the parents can do. All creativity does not just come from playing. One way to enhance creativity is let the children pick out there own pajamas. If the tops and bottoms dont match-so be it! Let the child pick the pants with dinosaurs and maybe that night in his dreams-he wants to discover dinosaurs. The next day, he may tell stories of how he rode a T-rex into the water or saw baby dinosaurs eggs. Letting the childrens mind explore to different times is allowing them to be someone they want to or even imagine something they cant see. In the reading, Edwards had brought up how teachers can give the children space to allow them to learn. Parents just as well as teachers, need to allow the child to have space. We all know we have the rooms in the house where the child is not allowed to paint or color because it may ruin the carpet. But, maybe that is where the child can dream of stories and drawings he wants to create. Usually in the rooms children are not allowed to play in, there is art on the wall that is not a dinosaur or animals that kids can relate too. By having the child be in the room adpating to something new, his mind will explore and maybe it can be a 2 day thing. We can not limit our children to only painting one picture in a 15 min. time limit. As Edwards states "Children need a place to leave unfinished work to continue the next day, and a space that inspires them to do their best work." Lastly, I feel parents just stick to the simple crayons, markers, colored pencils, and sometimes paint in the home. Why not have a day where you make your own playdoh? Instead of buying the already made kind at the store, google a recipe where the child can be involved in the process as well. By having the time to work with you on the recipe, they are engaging in new materials. This can be great for the child to be involved because he will think making playdoh is the most exciting to do and will also have this memory for next time to do with mom.
ReplyDeleteI believe that education is not only of academics, but is emotional, physical, and social academics. I believe that teachers/parents are the facilitators or guides to learning which provides hands on experiences. Learning occurs naturally in the learner when a teacher or parent has presented the material in a way that works for the learner. This works best with early childhood through creativity.According to the Eric digest art becomes a natural vehicle to help children learn, explore, and solve problems. Young children have amazing abilities to express their creativity though thinking and feeling.
ReplyDeleteSo my first suggestion to parents would be to allow children to explore at every opportunity. Allow the children to stop and look at the pictures while shopping at the store, allow the children to view the lake or ocean, discuss the ripples and waves, talk about the passing animals, and every part of nature.
My next suggestion would be to give the child the appropriate space to explore. According to Eric the lighting, the area, being child sized are all essential in providing children to be creative.
My next suggestion to the parents would be to allow the child the time needed. Allow the child to continue on his/her project until complete.This will not only teach the child completion but allow the child to see the final project(s).
Creativity does not have to be a difficult concept. As stated in “Magic in Everday Things” by Kolbe, children do find magic in all sorts of items that to us can be mundane and ordinary. I would tell my parents that they do not have to go out and buy a lot of materials to enhance their child’s creativity. Take them outside on a rainy day and let them feel the rain drops, let them listen to them, taste them as they fall from the sky and have them describe to you how it feels. You can have them help set the table and arrange the settings in similar patterns. Children pay close attention to a lot of things we don’t so by allowing them to exhibit that through something such as a drawing a picture can also help enhance their creativity.
ReplyDeleteI think the best way to enhance a child creativity is to first turn off the television and the video games. Change the childs environment. take them out of their everyday setting. If you change their surroundings they will be able to see things differently. Using the outdoor environment is a great way to show the colors of nature. The trees and leaves are good to show shape and line. When indoors give them different materials found around the house. Use recycled materials to create projects like sculptures. In my home one of the best ways to get their creative juices flowing is to stay involved with their project. Showing interest in their work keeps them motivated and working together will be a benefit for the both of you.
ReplyDeleteThere are many important things that parents can do at home to enhance their children's creativity. Edwards gives many examples of what teachers can do in the classroom to encourage creativity. However, all of these principals can be applied at home by parents. If I had to suggest only three they would be;
ReplyDelete1) Children need the proper environment that is conducive to creativity. Creativity is not inspired in a dark room that is filled with clutter. They need a stress-free environment that has natural light, bright colors and a place to work that is suitable. They should also be able to see other artwork such as photographs, pictures, their own art and even copies of masterpieces.
2) When engaging in activity with your child you should allow for enough time for in-depth exploration, problem solving and open ended discussions. For children to be able to complete their best work and get the full benefit of the experience they need ample time. In other words, quality over quantity.
3) Children learn best when they can use their senses. Our senses provide concrete experiences that stimulation creativity and when used, are more easily stored in their memory can be used as building blocks for further experiences.
I believe that it is crucial that children are engaged in creative thinking outside of the classroom. It is important to keep their senses stimulated and keep them engaged in problem solving to further their skills. According to the article "Magic in Everyday Things," taking time to stop & stare, to touch & listen, & to explore & make decisions helps our minds to develop & we learn more about our world through doing this.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to suggest ways in which parent's can enhance their young children's creativity, I would suggest having many materials available to them in which they could stay occupied with while at home (to avoid long television watching). The materials should have a wide range in colours, textures, weight, sizes, scents, sounds, patterns, & shapes. Give the children time to stay engaged & motivated in their activities. The article "Encouraging Creativity in Early Childhood Classrooms" suggests that letting children stay emerged into an activity supports the children’s emerging creativity. The parents should take cues from their children by carefully listening to them & observing. While this is occuring, I would suggest playing some delightful music for the children to listen to as they are playing/enhancing their creativity. Out of this, they can communicate through dance as well as explore movement & channel energy. One last suggestion would be to provide a variety of fabric for their children to play with. They can experiment with the different textures, weights, colours, sizes, etc of the fabric & make use of many of their senses again. The children may dabble in dress up &/or role play.
There are many things a parent can do to foster creativity in their child. In the reading by Edwards, it states that one major step to cultivating creativity in a classroom setting is with time. Teachers are encouraged to schedule large blocks of open ended time, and so should parents. A child's creativeness is not on a time clock, so let the child play. Let them explore and learn about their environment on their time. With that said, it is important for a parent to assist the child with it's learning needs. Take them to a park, watch birds, or a simple trip to the market so the child can explore places outside the norm. “Everyday sights become extraordinary if you take time to watch”, from Magic in Everyday Things, sums this up quite nicely. So, make sure you take time to watch. For yourself, and your child.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "Magic in Everyday Things" by Kolbe, I would be able to confidently explain to my parent group that it can be easy and fun to enhance their children's creativity. In the article, Kolbe explains how children find magic in the everyday things that us adults find to be ordinary, and usually don't think twice about. Something as simple as really listening to what your child has to say and conversing with them about what they think can spark their creativity. For example, Kolbe describes how one toddler's favorite thing is to touch all of the fruit when they go to the supermarket. While many parents would tell their children no, these parents allow the child to explore different textures. Another example is one where parents allowed their child to play with spoons. The toddler sorted, then resorted, and grouped, then regrouped, the spoons over and over again. Yet a third example Kolbe gives is when your child asks you how to draw a familiar shape. As children get older, they will become bothered when their artwork doesn't look exactly like an adult's, so teaching them to be satisfied with their work can be a challenge. Kolbe says that you should break down the task into smaller steps, to make the task seem more manageable to the child. These three examples are just a tiny fraction of the activities you could do at home with your children, that are simple, inexpensive, and spark their creativity and individuality.
ReplyDeleteWhen we talk about the word “Creativity” as in “enhancing a child’s creativity”, we often mean: the ability to create something new and unique, or to think in new and different ways. Besides, what is the act of creation other than a new recombination of already existing things e.g. the ability to take various separate and pre-existing forms and to recombine them into a single form, thereby creating something “new”; being creative? We often speak of imagination as being interrelated with the concept of Creativity; the ability to imagine new concepts from a rehashing of pre-existing ones.
ReplyDeleteChildren are naturally curious and playful, and if given the time to slow-down and just look, smell, touch, hear, taste, then they are actively involved in really Sensing what they are experiencing, and thus prone to be stimulated to learn and explore whatever it is that has caught their interest. This is mentioned in the article, “Magic of Everyday Things”; that giving child that critical time for reflecting on whatever their interested in at that moment, gives them the incentive to be actively open to learning and being imaginative.
So three easy suggestions for parents would be:
1. Give your child “unstructured” free time to encourage active stimulation and genuine interest in things
2. When your child’s interest is actively engaged in something, use that to your advantage to ask open ended questions to allow them to look closer, to listen harder, to feel deeper
3. Encourage your child to take chances (within reason) and make mistakes; the old adage that making mistakes is often the best way to learn
Children's creativity is endless, especially the younger they are. I agree with Austins comment, In the Edwards reading its stated that children need time for their thoughts and creativity to develop. My other suggestions:
ReplyDelete1.) Use active listening to spur on deeper thought concerning things the child is already interested in.
2.) Give students time to work on their own accord, choose what they want to and when, and when they are on a favorable track, encourage the development of that idea.
3.) Allow "failure" to many kids are concerned with what negative impacts their action may have, but in terms of learning its necessary to be wrong a portion of the time. They can't always be right, no one can!
Children not only need a creative environment at school, but at home as well. Having a creative environment at home will help enhance the chil'ds learning. For parents to help enhance their child's creativity is by letting them make their own decisions, and having the materials provided for your child's creative project. Parents can help enhance their childs creativiy by letting them pick out their own clothes, and letting them help you prepare a meal. Some other projects parents can enhance their childs mind are setting aside in your yard as the childs own flower or vegetable garden, making playdough with your child, making a fort out of pillows and blankets, and keeping your recycled items for your child to use to create a project. Most importantly always have your paper, crayons, markers, and colored pencils at reach for your child. Your child can be creative at home as long as you allow them, and as long as you have the materials around your home to allow them to be creative.
ReplyDeleteJess Glover
There are many things a parent can do to enhance a child's creativy. One of the most important is provide your child with an environment that offers both intellectual and sensory stimulation. Your child should feel that he or she has the freedom to think "out of the box" and should not feel pressured to conform or meet an artificial standard. The child should feel that he or she has the support and encouragement of his or her parents. He or she should be able to fail at a task, but still have the confidence and support to try again and succeed.
ReplyDeleteWhen speaking to a parent about how they can have a creative environment for their children, I would mention things that they can imagine and actually do.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would explain to a parent that the environment has to be inviting for the children. That means make sure it is bright, and a place where the child feels secure. It is not had to make child want to explore, you can use recyclable or objects that do not cost a lot of money. An environment should also challenge the child to test all of their senses, taste, touch feel, smell, and hear. That means putting sensory types of objects around the room the child can touch, such as shells, rocks, marbles.
The information I would make sure to tell a parent is to not be afraid to let your child explore on their own. Let them learn and figure things out. Parents sometimes think a structured plan for their children is the best way, but self-exploration is a great way to help a child experiment and learn!