Nurturing Creativity In Kids {Giveaway}

I think one thing we can all agree on is that our kids have is fantastic imaginations. They tell wild stories, have tea parties with their toys, and build complicated structures with their blocks, and generally have a ball playing pretend. And yet as an adult, how many times have we heard others say (and indeed said myself) “I am not creative”?

Somewhere along the line, in the process of growing up, we lose that spark as cynicism sets in and self-doubt starts to grow. Which is a pity because as Albert Einstein himself once said, “imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to what we know and understand while imagination embraces the entire world.”

So how to we help foster that creative spark in our children and keep it going as they grow? I’ve been writing articles for Yahoo Parenting on this topic over the past year, and here are some thoughts and ideas that I found helpful:

1. Block off time for pure, unstructured play. In our bid to enhance and enrich our children’s lives, it is very tempting to fill their schedule with classes and and activities. I know I certainly feel that way! There is a place for these activities, but as parents, I think we also need to recognise that kids need the time and space to explore their ideas. And by this I mean a significant amount of unhurried time, not the 15 mins before whizzing off to the next class. I was looking through Noey’s schedule recently, and although I embarked on this to see where I could squeeze out some additional desk work time, I realised in the process that he didn’t have very much free play time since starting school. I’ve since blocked off some chunks of time and told my son that I would honour his free time and give it as much priority as homework time. In return, I asked that he do the same.

I believe we shouldn’t be afraid of boredom and rush in to fill the gap with structured activities or tech toys. If kids complain of boredom, help them to brainstorm ideas for entertainment but leave it to them to try them out. When you set aside time for them to dream and create and you’ll not only have a more creative child, you’ll have a happier one as well.

2. Give them tools for creative play. Kids these days are spoilt for choice when it comes to toys but they really don’t need that many. Choose those that allow them scope for self-expression. Dress-up clothes for role-play and building toys like Lego and Plusplus bricks are must-haves in our home. And paper. Lots and lots of paper, paints, colour pencils, markers and the like. My kids love drawing so we often bring clipboards and drawing materials out with us. I think it’s also important to let the kids choose what interests them. Mei loves to dress up and role play with her dolls. Noey on the other hand loves fiddling with his Lego. He’s come up with some funny stories with them, including one with Ninjago that I shared on Yahoo recently. He also writes a diary which is filled with his quirky thoughts. I love it. We encourage him to write his own stories and draw, or even act it out with Lego. Whatever captures his imagination.

Give kids the tools to help them. I once read a quote that said it is unwise to think that kids who are playing with sticks are creative, because they aren’t being creative, they’re desperate. While desperation can be a motivating factor, since coming across that thought, I’ve realised that it is much more enabling to give kids what they need (within reasonable limits, of course) to translate their imagination into real life.

3. Encourage them to read. As a bookworm myself, I can tell you that nothing opens your mind like a good book. Exploring other realms and characters, and bringing them to life in your mind is a joy to be savoured. And it lingers, even after you’ve read the last word. As they pick the authors’ brains and explore the authors’ imaginations with a good story, kids learn to think beyond what they know. They are exposed to new ideas and different cultures, all from the comfort of their own room. I think the benefits of reading have long been recognised and I will not belabour the point. If you have littles, have are 5 good picture books that I would recommend which I think are wonderful for inspiring the imagination.

4. Stimulate their senses by exposing them to new things. Beyond reading, take the kids out regularly to stimulate their senses. Children learn with from experiencing the world around them with their different senses. This doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated — take walks in the park, make trips to the library or museum. Let them explore and don’t be too quick to rush them along or prevent them from picking up stuff. Certainly something I have to constantly remind myself! A mind that receives new ideas is better placed to use them.

5. Include them in your own creative and artistic pursuits. Let the kids create with you. Admittedly, this can seem rather daunting. There have been so many times when my children have tried to “help” me with my little projects and that help ended up being double the effort for me! But kids learn from watching their parents all the time, and that includes parents being creative. So get involved in a project together. I would suggest nothing too permanent and something where a less-than perfect end-product would still be acceptable. You might find it fun, and a great exercise in bonding too.

6. Don’t judge. Remember that creating is a process. Mistakes and imperfections are part and parcel of the whole affair, no matter how old the kids are. I know I often have higher expectations of my older child, expecting him to “get things right”. I have to consciously refrain from being too critical of a piece of writing he shows me, or a drawing he has made. Make your home a fun, safe space for kids to try new things and not be afraid to do so.

 

GIVEAWAY!

Here’s something else you can try to encourage their imagination and creativity — how about watching letting them see their ideas come to live before their very eyes? Here for only three shows, The Fantastical Story Factory is a musical adventure where the cast make up and perform a musical with ideas from the children in the audience! Expect the craziest characters in the funniest scenarios involved in the wildest plots. And every show is different! It is up to the audience to help determine where the story would go.

The Fantastical Story Factory is playing from 1 to 3 May, 3pm at the SOTA Drama Centre. Tickets are priced at $58, $48 and $38.

This improv theatre for kids sounds like a lot of fun, and guess what — we have 4 TICKETS TO GIVEAWAY for the show on Sat 2 May, 3pm!

To enter this draw to win the set of tickets, you have to complete the following steps:

1. Visit the ABA Productions Singapore Facebook Page

2. Visit the Life is in the Small Things Facebook Page

(While you’re there, we would greatly appreciate it if you could “LIKE” these pages!)

3. Comment on this Facebook photo AND Tag 2 friends!

You have to complete all 3 steps to qualify so don’t miss any out! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to indicate that you’ve done the above. You can also get additional chances by completing the rest of the steps. This is a flash giveaway so do hurry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions:

• This giveaway ends on Thurs 30 Apr 2015, 11.59pm and is open to Singapore residents only.
• The tickets are 4 Category 1 tickets worth $232 to the show on 2 May, 3pm. The winner of the tickets will not be allowed to swap his/her tickets for another performance.
• Winners will be contacted using the contact particulars provided when entering this giveaway and will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn.
• All incomplete entries will be disqualified. All entries will be verified before the winners are announced.
• To be fair to our sponsors, please note that all fake Facebook accounts (eg. accounts set up purely to take part in contests with no or very few real friends) will also be ineligible to win.