Why creativity is always adhered to displaying unique abilities only in specific fields. A general perception about creativity is only restricted to visual and auditory forms of expressing new ideas and thoughts. Isn’t it? For e.g. drawing, painting, sketching, sewing, music, singing, dancing. But it is also quite possible that one may be creative in areas which may be either too trivial to get noticed or has remained untapped all our lives. It could be sports, writing, culinary activities, tasks that involve organizing and presenting things in an innovative manner etc.
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Developing an article of utility out of the little pieces of junk lying in your closet. Decorating the food tray with peels of vegetable and fruits, something that struck you instantly. Even, resolving a tussle in an amiable way through simple strategies. Aren’t these ways of creative expression?
It is true that creativity stems from an innate ability or skill that is nurtured freely in an uninhibited atmosphere. It is the originality of your own thought process and imagination that shapes in for an outcome or a product, that you can eventually gain pride in. But at many other occasions and instances, repeated observations or getting technically trained over a period of time does helps you achieve something that is creative and new. So, you observe creativity can manifest itself in a myriad of forms.
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Children and creativity
During the initial growing years of life, children explore their given environment through their senses. The process enables them to discover their capabilities and limitations.
It also serves as early precursors for knowing and interpreting one’s own creative instinct in later life. |
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An early beginning-Older infants when learn to crawl, require an atmosphere where they can have an access to different materials. They would want to pull up to a standing position with the supporting edge of the table.
An eye to colourful and illuminated things in their surroundings catches their attention. For e.g. dim light bulbs in their room, handkerchief with an attractive motif on it, bright coloured baby towel with a kiddie cartoon on it. Getting to experiment with clay, dough and foods of different texture also expands their understanding of new things.
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Play activities provide the best medium for toddlers to express their thoughts freely. Children often indulge in pretend plays which usually offer a glimpse of what they observe around. It could be a 2 yr old imitating a cooking act with a couple of utensils, on seeing her mothering in the kitchen. Imagination serves as the fodder for a dramatic play act. A child gets to exercise his budding language skills with his peers while conversing. Such play also lets your child come up with new ideas that make it interesting as well as learning to coordinate with other kids in the group.
Valuable bits of information should always be ingrained in play activities. This, because children find it much easier to catch up on learning new and different stuffs through playtime. When they see you also being actively involved with them, it makes them responsive towards your inputs with much ease.
Preschool and school going children can benefit a lot through active participation in puppetry, drama, storytelling, music, dance and craft based competition. The environment at home should also encourage children to be involved, when deciding for events or occasions. It could be decorating the house for an upcoming festival, enacting a theme based short play as a birthday surprise for their grandparents.
Any activity that is imposed on the young minds purposefully, may not give them the space to flourish their own ideas and thoughts freely. Instances and opportunities that increase their curiosity in knowing and questioning things, what they observe around are equally important. Get them to know about nature’s beauty- leaves of different shapes, coloured pebbles & stones, shells, feathers, flowers, creatures. Calendars, art posters and photographs can be used to depict some of them. But, they would rather benefit a lot from viewing them in real. Older school children can get to learn a lot form an art workshop, visit to a museum etc.
Be observant but refrain from overburdening, constantly monitoring and evaluating children’s activities. Children like doing things at their pace and feel happy when it turns out the way they want to. They do require your assistance in the process but they also don’t want your interfering suggestions and negative remarks to obstruct their exploration. Pay heed to what you say- Something like, ‘let’s try with this, what do you feel’? would sound on a positive note. On the other hand, a question like ‘what have you made’? may put a child to think that does his work looks absurd.
What does this example has to say:- A parent of two children aged 5 yrs and 11 yrs respectively were taken in for a pleasant surprise, when they returned home. On the day of their anniversary they strangely found the small photo frames sans the pictures in them. However, when they entered their room they discovered the greeting decorated on the wall with those snaps. Beautifully aligned, the unusual element does let us affirm to – Children can find newer ways and the best possible alternatives to get the desired result only when they have a right of self expression! |
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