If you want to maintain your children's creativity, here are some tips:

 

 Remember how many failed attempts Thomas Edison made before he succeeded in inventing the light bulb? He failed 10,000 times! He used to say, “I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that the light bulb won’t work.” According to Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University and author of Mindset, children who fear failure are less capable of creative thinking. If you sense that your child is afraid of failure or that he stops at the first failed attempt, you should approach him, reassure him, and remind him that every failed attempt brings us closer to success. Creative people are those who learn from mistakes, so that their next attempt will be better and better. Remind him of how he first learned to ride a bicycle. What if he had given up and stopped learning at that time after the first failed attempt?

 

 

 I stopped at this point, and I felt that I personally was not doing enough with my children. We all like our homes to be tidy and clean, and we like to have some peace and quiet, especially after a busy day at work, but we must remember that what we can gain from raising creative children is priceless. Let us give our children the opportunity to make a little bit of a mess while drawing, while building those cardboard models, and even while giving those speeches, talks, discussions, and other activities.

 

 

 

 

There are many studies that have talked about the impact of sitting in front of screens for long periods on children’s brains and mental health, and I know that the situation is getting worse, and most of us are losing control, but we should rethink the issue and try again. According to the Canadian Physiology Society, the time allowed in front of screens is only two hours a day for those over the age of five. It is the responsibility of parents to find an alternative, such as reading, drawing, or playing with shapes and colors.

 

 

 

 

Try to give your child options to choose from and do not always force him/her to follow your opinion. Accept some things he/she may ask for that do not always match your preferences or wants. Allow him/her to decide what to do, what to eat and what to read, within the limits of religion and etiquette. If your son/daughter wants to help prepare lunch today, let him/her. Turn the kitchen into a science lab, with its different ingredients. Make it an opportunity for children to learn and explore.

 

 

 

 

Studies have shown that negative words such as: "You don't understand", "You are stupid", "You are useless", etc., in addition to being a killer of creativity, may cause psychological problems that accompany the child into later stages of his life without us noticing. On the other hand, expressions of praise and encouragement, even for slight progress or simple achievement, have a great impact in increasing the child's creativity, self-confidence and developing his personality.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes it’s good to leave children alone, to experiment and take risks. If a child feels like they’re constantly being watched, they may be less likely to take risks and experiment, which can stifle their creativity. If you encourage independence and give your child some freedom, you’ll see your child’s imagination flourish. If you see your child engaged in drawing or building, don’t barge in and ask, “What are you drawing?” or “What are you making?” This can take them out of the creative zone they’ve entered and navigated. Just make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy watching without them noticing.

 

 

 

This is one of the methods that I have tried many times and it has great positive effects. Give your children a specific challenge or problem, and ask them to find a creative solution to it. You can give them a day or two or more to think and build a prototype of the solution. They can work separately or as a team. Start with easy and simple challenges. For example, the pen box we have at home is full, so I asked them to design a new box that can hold all the pens. Once I asked them to design a remote control case for the TV, and recently I asked them to design a special game for our youngest son - who is about a year and a half old - to play while we pray Tarawih together at home during Ramadan, after the decision to pray Tarawih at home due to the Corona virus. The game should keep him attentive and busy so that it does not distract us during prayer, and I was very happy to see them design games and try them with the little one, then modify them and try again.

Preserving and developing the creativity inherent in our children is not an easy task, but it is, by God, worth the effort. How wonderful it is to give our children the skills they need to innovate for their country and nation. How wonderful it is to develop in them the creativity skill that companies around the world are looking for according to various reports. How wonderful it is to help them reach the age of thirty-one with creativity above eighty, instead of only 2%.