J5 - Creativity
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This week, we're focusing on CREATIVITY!
CREATIVITY is approaching a need, task or idea from a unique or new perspective. The opposite of CREATIVITY is CONVENTIONALITY, doing only what has been done before without trying to improve it.
One of the most powerful gift we can give our kids is the confidence and ability of creative problem solving.
Here's a few ideas that can help:
- Provide time and materials for open creative play.
- Keep supplies like scrap paper, scissors, tape, markers, card board, paint, and playdough in ready supply.
- Give your child a challenge.
- "We're having a party and need to make some scary masks. Can you come up with 3 different monster mask designs?"
- Instill curiosity.
- Propose open questions like, "Let's think about what it would be like to live on the moon. What would be hard about living there? What would we need to take with us?"
- All kids the chance to solve their own problems. Don't do all their thinking for them.
- "It looks like you're having trouble remembering to brush your teeth. What are a couple things you can do to help you remember? Write down your ideas and bring them to me when you're ready so that we can talk about them."
What ideas do you have to help shape a child's creative thinking?