I'm fascinated watching my niece grow and develop into a little person. She is about to turn three, and the stuff that comes out of her mouth already cracks me up to no end. Where does she get it from? It's really got me thinking about kids and creativity - each child's unique way of approaching the world and the special stuff they come up with.
I'm not only talking about prodigies with a paintbrush - but anyone's ability to see new patterns, and find innovative purposes and meanings for things, no matter what their interest, activity or talent. It might show up in a joke, a story, or - in time - a new product or scientific discovery.
Did you know that, in addition to an IQ, there's such a thing as a Creativity Quotient (CQ)? Nope, neither did I. But apparently it's on the decline among American students. At the same time, many schools are eliminating music and arts programs while standardized testing and memorization reign supreme. It's hardly the prep needed for our economy - one in which most manufacturing jobs are overseas and workers will only succeed through knowledge and innovation. It's the individuals with creative skills that will thrive, and it can be taught and encouraged.
Since schools can't always do it, that leaves the parents. Hello, can we say tall order? Not only do you have to work, clothe and feed them, but you're also responsible for encouraging original thought, risk-taking and ingenuity too? Jeez. It's hard to be a parent. But, there it is. So, here are some tips:
- Don't Over-Structure: Sure, kids need structure and stability. But we also have a tendency to schedule tons of lessons and activities so kids have every opportunity and are never bored. While this might foster certain skills (like soccer) it doesn't always lead to creativity. Kids need time to just play, invent their own games, and self-initiate activity.
- Avoid Perfection; This is a tough one, especially on frenzied days. Encourage multiple solutions for everyday problems, and not just the quickest, correct answer. How many ideas can you guys come up with to get Socks the stubborn cat to come inside? Be open to all responses, however crazy they seem. Or, when you child comes home with a A+ on her paper, reward the effort and not the score.
- Embrace Mistakes and Curiosity Instead: When your kid accidentally dumps a whole bottle of dressing into the salad, you can yell or you can say "No worries. Why do you think that happened?" and then let them figure out how to salvage the vegetables. They'll know it's okay they made a mistake and will learn from it. When you don't fear failure, you take more risks in the future.
- Provide Flexible Toys: Choose toys and games where kids are active players. Watching television is the most obvious example of passive behavior, but also certain "one purpose" toys only do one thing and one thing only. On the other hand, open-ended tools like crayons or Legos can be used in multiple ways and produce endless outcomes. So, yes, it's true that the cardboard box is often more fun than the actual toy.
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I can't speak for other people's experiences but with my two kids we've raised them the same way and one wakes up ready to craft/paint/draw/write/read all the way til bedtime.
The other couldn't care less, but get her in the kitchen and she could bake and cook all day long. She is also very fascinated with money (yes money). Paying for things, playing with her cash register. Go figure. They've both been shown the exact same environment and toys. They just have different personalities.
Ken Robinson's book "The Element" (based on his very popular Ted Talk) explores this subject of kids and creativity. It's a great read.
Resist the urge to solve problems for your kids. Independent problem solving is a creative process. If the problem isn't solved well the first time, that's ok! it was a learning experience. The next time proves and opportunity to to it better.
When you don't fear failure, you take more risks in the future
This is true in and of itself, but that doesn't mean it will apply to all people equally. You should have said "you might take more risks in the future." Children need discipline and positive/negative reinforcement. How will they know if what they did is wrong if all you do in reaction to a mistake or bad behavior is ask them what they could do differently next time? There's a time and a place for brainstorming, I guess it depends on the misstep.
typo -- provides an opportunity...
(that's what I get for eating lunch with one hand, typing with the other... oops, did I learn something?!)
I can't say I've noticed a trend of decreasing creativity in my house (one daughter)--given that she regularly paints, embroiders, sculpts clay, and makes up the most outrageous stories and adventures for games ever. The clay dragons she's sculpted will come alive, once she collects magic snow for them, which must fall on a blue moon or during the winter solstice. There's a kind of multi-coloured bird in her own personal world, accessed via a magic portal in her mirror, that has a special job of cheering people up when they've had a bad day. She's going to paint one for the wall of her bedroom--which also has multi-coloured wildflowers painted all along the bottom border, so that it will look like a summer meadow. She has more imaginary pets than I can count--wolves, unicorns, mice, chipmunks, dragons, you name it--all with their own names, personalities, habits, colourings, and magical powers.
We also don't have cable, never watch TV, own every art and craft supply known to humanity, and have precious few scheduled activities outside of school, but I'd hesitate to draw any kind of cause and effect. It's just as possible that, since I'm a creative nut too, that I prefer creative activities and structure the house that way, so that's where she lives, and being my daughter she got those traits from me.
Stop sticking them in front of the TV!
When my son was little we lived in the Middle East...not so much TV available. Since we did a lot of traveling I carried colored pencils (they do not melt in 100+ degrees) and paper. We read and he played with multi-national kids. To this day, he reads voraciously and he is an awesome artist, particularly with pencils...
i would like to shout and scream "cut out tv!!!" its not a good babysitter. its easy to let somebody else/something else raise your kids but it doesn't mean they will do a good job.
(i know i'm going to get sh*t for this but i stick to my guns. kids need quantity time, not quality time).
It's not that difficult, if they have access to sand and water and sticks they'll do just fine.
I'm pretty adamant about not having too much modern technology for my daughter when we spend time together. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a Luddite or anything (I work in IT). She's surrounded by technology but I don't want it to be too passive (although there is a time and place for relaxing with a movie or television show). As it is I think there is too much technostuff introduced in elementary/primary school. Instead of being fed an interpretation of something I want her to come up with her own ideas.
Some of her favourite toys might have made beeps or noises, but they weren't on a screen. She had a wooden train set that she would play with for hours after we'd figure out the puzzle of building a new track (and using every piece at her request).
We're both involved in music. She's had an acoustic guitar since she was a toddler that I would tune to an opening tuning and lean in the corner. She would go an strum it on her own. From an early age we would listen to music and not just listen but pick out patterns. She figured out a lot of song structure on her own and she has picked up on both the artistic and theory sides. She has a keyboard (due to economics it's a controller that plays softsynths through her laptop) but I purposely haven't taught her about sequencing yet because I wanted her to explore actually playing first. She also plays vioin and handbells in school.
With the exception of photography (she has a digital camera and an iPod Touch) I'd prefer she does a lot of visual art the old fashioned way. Like toys or music, I don't want technology to be a crutch. It's a tool, not a replacement. And arguably the tool that it is might be close, but it's not the same as mixing colours, creating textures with a brush, and seeing the nuances of imperfection that make our expressions unique.
We've talked about the value of reading and how the world she creates in her mind of the scenes and characters being so valuable. She's hooked on a couple of book series' at the moment and she seems to really enjoy it. It's great to hear her talk about what is going on in a book and how excited she is to get the next book in a series.
Sorry for the long winded response, but there are lot of things that we were fortunate enough to avoid as children that, at a very basic level, encouraged creativity and we didn't even realize it.
I don't think the equations are all that simple. I grew up in a house with an average of 4 hours of tv a day, my parents owned a total of 6 books, and our toys were not of any educational bent . My parents were middle class earners focused on paying the bills and not on ruminating over creative experiences for their children.
Still, my brother is a fantastically creative chef with a brilliant mind, and I am currently an author and used to be an experimental modern dance/ site specific installation choreographer. My brother and I have pretty warped though creative minds. I think it just happened that way. We both love my parents a ton even though they never paid much attention to how we were spending our time as kids. It was probably for the better.
just wondering how many of these posters have children? My children love TV and one has a tablet, but it doesn't mean they are vegetables or not creative.
My 5 and 3 year old played yesterday for two hours with a leftover bag of stuffing. Somehow it became the Great Big Gorgeous Bag of Stuffing. I think they are doing well. =) Being t.v. free certainly helps. Abundant art supplies are also great.
I love this post! I don't have any children of my own, but I'm a PreK teacher who sees this dwindling creativity on a daily basis. And the problem isn't that kids are less likely to pursue creative endeavors- it's that they can't think creatively. A lot of children I meet have trouble thinking of new or different ways to do things, simply because they haven't been encouraged to do so. This becomes a huge issue in areas like science, where children genuinely need to think of different ways to solve a problem. I know that it can be easier to do everything for a child and sit them in front of a TV, but it really can be dangerous to their development as a human being.
The toys that I recommend are definitely open ended toys. If it lights up and makes noise, you're probably better off without it. I know that children tend to like those toys, and it's okay if they have a couple of them... you just don't want all of their toys to be like that. Blocks of any kind (wooden, lego, magna-tiles... you name it!) are great, as are any kind of dolls.
And it's SO important to let kids to solve their own problems. If a child trips and falls down, don't run over right away... even if you want to. Try not to even make eye contact. I know it sounds cruel, but you would be amazed at how many times a child will simply get up and keep going if they know you aren't worried. (Of course, this wouldn't be true if a child took a serious tumble!)
He is sooo cute.
Of course every child is different and just like some kids being naturally better at sport, some kids will approach things in a more creative way naturally. But I believe like playing sport, creativity can be learnt or encouraged. I see being creative is not about being able to draw, paint or make things (though these are definitely ways of encouraging creativity and often a way it manifests) it is exactly as some other posts have said, it's a way of thinking and problem solving. So just because your child doesn't care less about painting (northstory) doesn't mean they are not creative. Their creativity can be applied or manifest in many aspects of life such as cooking or financial planning. Hence why I believe encouraging creative thinking to be so important.
Though I don't think TV is the root of all evil and as 'thorndale' suggests, I don't think the equations are all that simple. I do believe certain aspects of excessive tv watching can suppress creatively. Especially when combined with the excess merchandise of today. With branded merchandise, dolls and figurines, children no longer have to invent their own stories around them. They are given their name, background, way of talking, likes and dislikes. All that is left is to play out the story laid out in front of them.
I think it's awfully judgmental to think that people who let their kids watch TV are lazy or are terrible parents. Yes, execessive TV is bad but so is excessive anything.
What's missing from the conversation is what children are watching. I watched a lot of documentaries as a kid (Discovery Channel was on constantly) and I learned a great deal that I wouldn't have with just an hour of science class a day. Television supplemented what school could not accomplish. A lot of kids in bad school districts could use TV to help them learn and get ahead in education.
Sometimes it is just personality. My children were all raised more or less the same. One has always spent hours on end playing happily by herself. (I used to eavesdrop in her "conversations" during these times and they were sometimes quite hilarious.) And yet another would spend half her days saying, "I'm bored." The third had to be limited to TV when he was young or he would watch it all of the time. Yet he played creatively when it was off.
Nowadays the TV is rarely on. And yes I allow them to use technology. My youngest loves to create Powerpoints and share them with us. One was about freeing lobsters from the supermarket tank. She loves to write and draw as well but I have to admit that using things like Powerpoint when she was really little helped a lot when she started having to do them for school.
A lot of it is helicopter parenting. I know people who feel like they have to schedule every minute of the child's day. When they play, they aren't allowed to make messes, or mom plays with them or watches over them every minute "teeaching" them how to do things the "right" way. They aren't allowed to go into the back yard alone to become adventurists and jungle explorers. Heck, I've seen 10- year-olds at the park with mom following them around despite the fact that there has never been a stranger kidnapping there in 50 years or in any of the surrounding neighborhoods.Heaven forbid any of them be allowed down to the two foot deep creek to play with a friend.
Children have to have some independence and freedom to be creative. It's almost impossible to be creative with mom looking over your shoulder 24/7.
We had to limit the amount of TV/iPad our 3 year old was watching. Not because she was becoming a mushroom but because we just felt we were being lazy parents!
Now, music is on as soon as she comes home from daycare and we sing and dance with her and her younger siblings.
We also bought her a LOT of puzzles and asked that grandparents purchase those instead of toys. She now works on the puzzles or colors at the kitchen table.
There has been a difference in how she acts and she now realizes that the weekends are when she gets a "treat" of watching Doc McStuffins, Diego, Baby Einsteins, etc.
tv isn't the same as it was when we were kids. The edits are significantly shorter (3 seconds a shot compared to 20 seconds in the 70s) and the subject matter is also not always suitable for all ages. i cut out all tv a month ago (my son watched an average of 20 minutes a day) and i noticed a significant difference in his temperament and his creativity (for the best).
I am a parent and former teacher, and I definitely advocate turning off the tv (I'm also not a fan of handing your kid an iPad, but ymmv), and also not over-scheduling children. I think you can foster creativity even with these factors because a lot of it also depends on the child's temperament. My parents did not encourage creativity in the slightest (they were of the 'as long as they're not killing each other or breaking something, I'm going to do my own thing' style of parenting) and did not particularly prevent us from watching tv. (Well, they tried, but there was a tv upstairs with unlimited access.) I wound up being a total non-tv watcher who reads books avidly and writes creatively in my spare time. My brother is the total opposite.
I guess the best you can do is keep an eye on your child's aptitudes and encourage them in their interests.
Amazing post! I completely agree that children need to be engaging with creativity and the arts at a young age in order to develop the crucial leadership skills they'll need later on in life when they enter the working world!
I stumbled across this book titled The Artistic Edge: 7 Skills Children Need to Succeed in an Increasingly Right Brain World. (http://www.amazon.com/The-Artistic-Edge-Children-Increasingly/dp/0991730208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362064006&sr=8-1&keywords=the+artistic+edge)
It's an inspiring read that explores arts and leadership education being necessary in today's age for our children's success! Hopefully schools will realize this sooner or later and make arts education a priority in their curriculum!
Here's a drawing game for kids I loved when I was little: http://youtu.be/I8c26-M-Ngw
Kids who have had the most parental 'input' often seem to lack initiative and creativity, so let's stop worrying about that one! I think the best thing we can do for our kids is lead by example, and support our schools and teachers.