Raising Creative Kids
by Elizabeth Curry
The words ‘children’ and ‘creative’ naturally go together.Perhaps that’s why it’s concerning to read recent reports about the decline in the creative abilities of American children. It turns out that creativity involves more than just doing a craft.
Creativity is the ability to generate unique ideas that are expressed in a variety of different ways, such as through the arts or in problem solving; creative individuals are able to see the richness of the world around them. So how do parents go about raising and encouraging creative kids?
Joyce Elias, an Evanston artist and set designer who teaches art to children in her studio, suggests:
- Keeping things unstructured. Provide lots of time for free play, preferably outdoors.
- Exposing children to different art forms. With Chicago so close, there are a multitude of opportunities to see creativity in all its different forms.
- Providing space and materials. Along with basic art supplies, collect recyclables, which can be made into inventions and other projects. Turning an item designed for one use into something completely different is a great creative exercise.
- Playing games together, and not just packaged board games… make your own!
No comments:
Post a Comment