How to help your child think creatively?

Articles

Dr. Osama Mohammed Abdel Majeed Ibrahim

Creativity

The first five years of a child's life are critical for the development of creativity, as they display a wide imagination through the games and stories they create. Most creativity theorists agree that creativity includes a number of components: imagination, originality (the ability to come up with new and unusual products), productivity (the ability to generate a variety of ideas by thinking differently), problem solving (the application of knowledge and imagination to reach a solution), and creating a valuable output.

But when thinking about young children it may be appropriate to adopt a broad definition of creativity, and to understand the relativity of originality in judging children's work. A young child's work may be adaptive and original for that child or for children in his class or in a group of the same age, but not for older children. The report of the National Advisory Committee for Creative and Cultural Education in England adopted a broad democratic definition of creativity, and stated that this is the most useful way of seeing creativity in relation to education, stating that: "All individuals are capable of creative achievement in some area of human activity when the conditions are right, and of acquiring knowledge and skills relevant to the area."

In this way, every child can be thought of as having the potential for creativity, and as being capable of creative expression.

It may also be helpful to adopt an idea that is suitable for young children, which is to focus on the creative process rather than on judging the quality of their products, because young children do not yet have the knowledge and skills they need to produce high-level creative outputs.

Here are some tips that can positively impact the development of creativity in our children during childhood:

Listen to your child carefully, attentively and honestly.
Provide your child with a variety of magazines, books, and enrichment and cultural materials, and expose him to as many rich and enjoyable experiences as possible, such as visiting museums, archaeological sites, and exhibitions.
Do not impose certain tendencies on your son. Give him the opportunity to explore his tendencies himself and develop these tendencies. He is capable of doing so.
Avoid using intimidation tactics, especially the fear of making mistakes, and give the child the opportunity to make multiple attempts.
Help your gifted child play, relax, and do activities of his own choosing, just for the fun of it, not because it will sharpen his mind.
Do not over-satisfy his cultural appetite, and give him the opportunity to contemplate, think and dream, as it is difficult for a gifted child to be creative when he has a schedule full of pre-planned activities.
- Teach your child in a calm manner based on tolerance and overlooking mistakes, and push him towards more discovery and experimentation.
Encourage your child to use imagination and go beyond familiar tangible objects, move freely between reality and imagination, try to form assumptions and imaginary structures, use humor and fun, and make the child feel relaxed.
Raise your child to be open-minded, flexible in thinking, not rigid, and to allow freedom to choose and make decisions, and try to instill new solutions, and not rely on pre-existing solutions that the child may find ready and easy to use.
Encourage your child to be independent in reaching new and diverse solutions to the issues and problems he faces on his own, and not to depend on others to find those solutions.
Set moderate expectations for your child, not so low that the child feels low self-confidence and lacks appreciation for his performance, nor so high that these children feel helpless and frustrated if those expectations are not met.
Do not compare your child to his siblings or to any of your friends' children. Respect your child's individuality and enjoy it.
Let your child do the things he says he can do. He is better able than others to measure his potential and evaluate his weaknesses.
Praise your child for his good effort; whether his efforts are crowned with success or failure, he deserves praise because he put in enough effort.
Do not expect your son to be wonderful and outstanding at all times and in all matters.