Everyone is born as a creative individual. Basically, creativity is a person's ability to use imagination, originality, productivity, and problem solving as a method of approaching situations. Different opinions consider creativity as an ability that can be honed and developed, not a gift from birth. A similar opinion believes that it is parents who need to play an active role in honing their children's creativity. Interested in honing your children's creativity? While art is the most common way to exercise one's creativity, there are basically many other ways you can try. Read on for this article to find out!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Taking Part in Children's Creative Process
Step 1. Be a role model
Be a parent who is open-minded and able to find various solutions to overcome various problems. Show your child that you are flexible and willing to try new things. When faced with difficulties, show that you are able to use a variety of approaches to overcome them.
- If your child asks a question, come up with a creative answer. Before answering the question, you can also first discuss the answer with your child. For example, if your child asks, “Where does the rain come from?”, ask a counter-question that makes him think: “Hmm… rain comes from the sky. What else is there in the sky? Could it be rain coming from there?”
- If your child asks you how to draw a heart, show them different ways to do it (such as using connecting lines, dotted lines, meeting dots, or drawing flower petals in the shape of a heart). You can even draw a heart according to its anatomical shape. After that, ask your child to draw a heart according to their own version.
Step 2. Give your child time to play freely
Do not interrupt, direct, or give advice while he is playing. Choose a game that does not have one valid final result; let your child use his creativity when playing.
- Encourage your child to engage in creative activities such as painting, drawing, and building blocks (such as Lego).
- Avoid or reduce games that are causal (doing something to get a certain reaction), such as jack-in-the-box or other pop-up games.
- Do not correct your child unless the situation is really serious (or dangerous for your child).
- If your child says, "I'm bored!", arrange the toys he has, then make a story based on the arrangement you have made. After that, ask your child to finish the story. For example, you could arrange several dolls and create a story about the dolls traveling around the world. Their first destination was Prague, then what was their next destination? What places would they like to see? How long have they been traveling for? How many countries did they visit? Encourage your child to answer these questions in the follow-up story.
Step 3. Provide the necessary facilities
For example, provide a special room in the house where your child can play. Make sure the room is spacious enough, especially if your child needs to “clutter” the room with activities. Provide a playroom that allows him to draw, play in the water, and create other messes without needing to make the whole house messy. You can also provide a special cubicle that allows your child to change clothes at will without having to clutter up the entire main wardrobe. When Christmas or his birthday comes, ask others to give him gifts that spark his creativity such as drawing tools, musical instruments, interesting costumes, or Legos.
- Recycle things in your home: toilet paper and its cross section can be recycled into swords or sailboats.
- Challenge your child to make something using the things around him, such as paper, plastic wrap, or a tube of toilet paper.
Step 4. Design interesting ideas
Invite your child to discuss ways to solve problems, invent new things, or do unique new activities. Don't judge, evaluate, or force an opinion that makes more sense to you. Let your child come up with all the ideas that are on his mind. Don't choose the “best” idea either; focus on the process of forming the idea, not the end result.
- If you want to do something but lack the resources (for example, you want to get something up on the cupboard but don't have a ladder), ask your child to think of possible solutions.
- Read a fairy tale or short story to your child, then stop telling the story right after the story climaxes. Ask your child to think about what will happen next and how he or she will resolve any problems that occur.
Step 5. Encourage your child to accept failure and mistakes
Fear of failure or fear of making mistakes is the biggest obstacle in one's creative process. Usually, children are also afraid to judge their own work (or hear their work being judged by others). Share your failure experience with your child; emphasize that mistakes and failures can help a person become a better person.
- Ask your child to give unusual colors to various objects (for example, give blue or purple to human skin), or invite him to do other “weird” things. Show that being different is not a mistake.
- If your child is upset because he just made a mistake, find alternative ways to "modify" the error. For example, if your child accidentally tears their favorite picture book, re-glue the torn sheet with an attractive sticker or draw something around the torn sheet as camouflage.
Step 6. Ask questions that cannot only be answered with “Yes” or “No”
Some parents are used to asking closed-door questions such as, "Flowers are beautiful, aren't they?" or “This activity must be fun, right?”. Instead of asking closed-ended questions, try asking questions that open up opportunities for him to be creative. Of course you also have to allow your child to answer according to his creation.
You might ask, “What is your favorite flower? Why do you like that flower?” or “In your opinion, what kind of activities are fun?”
Step 7. Limit the consumption of the technology
Limit the frequency of watching television or consuming similar technology; make sure your child is not constantly staring at the screen of the phone, computer, tablet or TV. Too much screen time makes your child prone to obesity, attention disorders, emotional disturbances, and difficulty sleeping. Instead, encourage your child to do activities such as reading, listening to music, drawing, or playing a play.
Set an alarm to limit your child's activity in front of the screen. When the alarm goes off, make sure he knows that his time is up
Step 8. Focus on the process, not the result
Sometimes, the drive and motivation to achieve the best results can actually hinder a child's creative process. He'll also get used to second-guessing your desires instead of exploring his interests. alone.
Instead of verbal compliments like, “You did a great job!” or “wow, your painting is great!”, try to compliment the process. Tell him, “I can see that you worked really hard to make it” or “Wow, you put a lot of color in your painting! Interesting!"
Method 2 of 3: Cultivating Children's Creativity
Step 1. Encourage your child to solve problems using multiple approaches
Give your child an example, then ask how he or she would solve the problem. After that, ask your child to think of alternative ways to solve the same problem. Focus on the process, not the result. Encourage your child to think of as many solutions to one problem as possible.
Have your child build a house. However, be ambiguous and convey that he can make it any way he wants. If she starts to get confused, tell her that she can draw a house or build it using an ice cream stick. Encourage your child to make a house in any shape he wants, from a dog house, a doll house, or even a haunted house filled with cute monsters
Step 2. Encourage your child to explore his interests
You may want him to learn to play the piano or to dance ballet. But as a parent, the wisest step you can take is to let him choose his own interests. The more freedom you give, the more flexible the mindset will be.
- Naturally, your child will be sucked into the activities he enjoys. Encourage your child to explore these activities.
- Some activities that can increase children's creativity are music, dancing, drawing, sculpting, and painting.
Step 3. Enroll your child in a variety of creative classes, such as painting, dancing, sculpting, or pottery classes
Art activities really help children to express themselves and explore their interests. Choose activities that allow your child to learn basic skills, but still provide room for creativity.
- Find information about creative classes in your area.
- Allow your child to be creative on their own, even creative with children his age.
Step 4. Encourage your child to be creative with their peers
If done with children his age, learning can be a fun activity. Look for information about creative classes or extracurricular activities at school that allow your child to be creative with their peers. Give your child the opportunity to learn, develop creativity, and have fun at the same time.
Encourage your child and their friends to design specific projects, such as choreographing a dance, composing simple music, or creating a functional science project
Step 5. Use a multisensory approach
Involve as many senses as possible in your child's activities. Take advantage of motion, sound, texture, taste, and visual information; You can even play music in the background. One learning method that uses a multisensory approach is to learn songs by inserting dances or movements that match the song.
- Play with clay. Choose clay with a variety of different colors and textures. Ask your child to identify the smell and imitate the sound made when the clay is thrown on the floor.
- If the activity you choose doesn't involve too many senses, ask your child to imagine a sense that isn't engaged. You can ask questions like, "What kind of sound do you think this thing makes?"
Step 6. If it's not absolutely necessary, don't blame your child's theories
If your child says that the wind comes from trees, just say that the theory is probably true. Afterward, ask him what made him think that way. Allowing your child to build theory is like paving the way for him to explore creativity! However, don't make him think that his strange (and wrong) theory has been proven true; just say that the theory possible Correct.
Step 7. Accept all of your child's ideas and always leave positive comments; encourage your child's creative process
If you start to think, “How could that possibly happen” or “That idea is doomed to fail”, keep those thoughts in your head and keep praising your child for being able to think out of context.
- If your child wants to build a spaceship that can fly to the moon, support the idea and don't say, "How could you possibly make one." Help your child gather the raw materials he needs and ask him to think of alternative ways to get to the moon.
- If you're having a hard time resisting the idea, simply say, "Wow, your approach is interesting" or "I never thought of that before."
Method 3 of 3: Practicing Decision Making Skills
Step 1. Provide your child with various options
Decision-making abilities also affect your child's creativity. When your child is confused, try to provide several possible decision options and ask him to weigh the pros and cons of each.
- For example, if your child is confused about what to snack on at the supermarket, try offering three healthy snack options, such as dried fruit, yogurt, and dark chocolate with nuts.
- This way, you can be sure that your child will choose healthy snacks. Another advantage, he can also weigh the pros and cons of each option you offer. This process can also help boost your child's creativity.
Step 2. Guide your child to make difficult decisions
Encourage your child to look at problems from multiple perspectives. If he has to make a serious decision, sit across from him and talk to him about the decisions he could make. Ask your child to look at the various possible solutions, as well as weigh the pros and cons of each.
- Don't make decisions for your child; just help him choose the best solution and encourage him to think critically. For example, you might ask, "What do you think would happen if you chose that solution?" and “What are the advantages of this solution over other solutions?”.
- After your child has chosen the solution that he thinks is most appropriate, invite him back to the discussion. Ask how it went and if he still thinks it's the best solution. For example, you might ask, “How, are you still going to stick to the same solution? If so, why, if not why?"
Step 3. Provide assumptions
Providing assumptions regarding moral dilemmas is also effective in increasing your child's ability to make decisions as well as fostering creativity. Encourage your child to assess several possible decisions. Also encourage your child to think about the end result of each decision, then ask him to choose the best one.
- For example, ask what your child will do if a friend cheats on a test. Should he rebuke his friend? Should he report it to the class teacher? Or should he just keep quiet?
- Encourage your child to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each assumption. For example, what are the advantages and disadvantages if he decides to reprimand his friend?
Step 4. Let your child learn from wrong decisions
You may feel tempted to interfere whenever your child will (or has) made a mistake. But know that your child won't learn anything if you keep doing it. Try to stop interfering in your child's decisions once in a while, even if they are wrong. Let him learn from his mistakes. The lessons your child learns will greatly assist his decision-making process later in life, as well as fostering his creativity.
If your child prefers playing games to doing homework after school, don't stop them. Let your child feel and understand the consequences of his actions
Tips
- Emphasize to your child that every problem doesn't have only one solution.
- Necessity is the source of all inventions; keep this sentence in mind if you forget to buy an ingredient or lack a photo to fill the collage.
