Fostering Creativity and Imagination in Preschool Age Children
Published in Suburb Magazine
Creativity is essentially a form of problem-solving. But it is a special type of problem-solving—one that involves problems for which there are no easy answers; that is, problems for which popular or conventional answers don’t work. Creativity involves adaptability and flexibility of thought.
With young children, the focus should be on the process—the generation of ideas. Adult acceptance of multiple ideas in a non-evaluative atmosphere will help children generate more ideas or move to the next stage of self-evaluation. Most measures of children’s creativity have focused on ideational fluency. Ideational fluency tasks require children to generate as many responses as they can to a particular stimulus, as is done in brainstorming. This is considered to be a critical feature of the creative process. Children’s responses may be either popular or original and the latter is considered evidence of creative potential. Therefore, asking four-year-old children to name all the things they can that are red, we find that they not only list cars, apples, and strawberries, but also cold hands.
We know that creativity is not dependent on traditional intelligence. Just as children are not equally intelligent, all children are not equally creative. But as all children exhibit behaviors that evidence intelligence from birth, they also exhibit behaviors that evidence creativity.
Some characteristics of creative behaviors as listed by Marie Dingfield, are the following:
1. Wants to make discoveries on his/her own, learn by experimentation, and is independent.
2. Unusual curiosity, sense of excitement and wonder about the world.
3. Looks at things in unusual ways, more in-depth.
4. Is talented in many different ways.
5. Has a reputation for wild ideas.
6. Is a risk-taker.
7. Has a good sense of humor; may be a little offbeat.
8. Challenges authority often.
9. Has an ability to explore new solutions and alternatives.
10. May have intuitive solutions to problems.
11. Has an active imagination.
12. May have many ideas.
13. Often has a positive reaction to change, able to be flexible in emergencies.
14. Tends to come from families who allow freedom in decision-making and exploring the environment; stress openness and express enthusiasm for life; tend to be less authoritarian and foster spontaneity, individuality, and independence; read to their children, visit the library, and tell stories; and themselves are creative and comfortable with change.
John Gottman uses process in his emotional intelligence work. When a child is feeling upset, anxious, or embarrassed, after the consoling period of time where a parent is asked to just sit with the child for talking about the feeling, he asks parents to move to the problem-solving part where the child is asked to think of ways the problem can be solved. No answer is wrong, and the child is encouraged to think about what would happen with each of his/her ideas.
Adult acceptance of multiple ideas in a non-evaluative atmosphere will help children generate more ideas or move to the next stage of self-evaluation (“What do you think will work here?”). The critical factor in encouraging creativity is a non-evaluative atmosphere.
We offer some ideas for ways in which adults can encourage creativity in their children:
1. Provide an environment that allows the child to explore and play without undue constraints.
2. Adapt to children’s ideas rather than trying to structure your child’s ideas to fit yours.
3. Accept unusual ideas from children by suspending judgment of answers you are expecting. Give emotional support for original ideas.
4. Use creative problem-solving in all areas of your child’s life. Use the problems that naturally occur in everyday life.
5. Allow time for your child to explore all possibilities, moving from popular to more original ideas (“What else might it be?”).
6. Emphasize process rather than product.
7. Give children confidence to take risks, challenge assumptions, and see things in a new way.
8. Give toys and gifts that stimulate creativity.
9. Support your child’s curiosity and encourage questions.
10. Encourage and model risk-taking.
11. Provide a stimulating, responsive, and enriched climate with a wide variety of books, materials, and a corner of their own.
12. Allow for normal developmental growth patterns, such as regression to an earlier level.
13. Remember to leave “breathing space” or “dream time” for ideas to incubate.
14. Leave some time for your creative activities as well.
15. Let your child share your interests and discuss them together.
16. Encourage self-resourcefulness and responsibility.
17. Encourage the idea that “we learn from our mistakes,” not from our successes.
18. As your child grows older, include him/her in decision-making. Set as few limits as possible, but be firm on the ones you set.
19. Encourage your child’s imagination through the use of fantasy, imagery, role-play, etc.
20. Turn off the television!
Further, you could routinely practice some creative activities with your children. Some of these include:
1. Drawing a crazy picture.
2. Writing a nutty poem.
3. Singing a mumble-jumble song.
4. Whistling through your comb.
5. Doing a loony dance.
Question:
My five year old is not interested in writing the alphabets but loves to scribble on the paper and entitles these squiggles aero plane, train, car etc. Objectively these figures are way beyond any of these actual objects. How should I get him interested in drawing or writing real stuff?
Answer:
A child once pointed at a drawing of a garden and told me that his dog was in it. On not being able to see one, I asked him where it was. He replied innocently that it had just gone out of the garden into the house.
Children are very egocentric in their perception. Whatever they imagine they think the others can comprehend it. It is inconceivable for them how anyone cannot fathom their logic. But this abstract reason demonstrates complex reflection on his part. Instead of mocking his efforts you should be asking him candid questions about his sketches and get an insight into the working of his mind. You will be amazed at his unexpected answers.
A vivid imagination is essential for creative thinking which in turn an important element of intelligence is. Do not restrict his drawings by asking him to copy stereotyped illustrations of a house, clouds, mountains, sun, moon or the stars.
This is the time for him to develop fine motor coordination, learn to grasp the pencil and write steadfastly. He must enjoy the activity of writing to become competent and drawing is an excellent way to encourage him to do so.
After this, learning the alphabet will be a cake walk. He will also acquire the gift to communicate through other mediums like art.
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