According to Albert Einstein, creativity is intelligence having fun. But what is creativity? It is the use of one’s imagination to create something new and innovative. It is a broad concept and is the foundation for the many groundbreaking creations we see today.
The world around us continues to be ever-changing and unpredictable, and having gone through globalisation and digital revolutions in the past century, educators and students today have to learn to make use of new technologies and incorporate them into their creative thinking processes.
Indeed, the demand for this skill to think creatively is increasing, and will continue to increase far into the future. So how can parents prepare their children for the future and encourage creativity in them?
Below are a few suggestions:
- Give your child a chance to display their talents
Every child is different, and every child has different skills and abilities. For some, they may take a longer time to find out where their talents lie. Parents can help their child by offering them opportunities to share their talents and opinions with their peers. This can help their child recognise their talents, nurturing their creativity while developing their confidence at the same time.
- Encourage curiosity
Children are naturally curious and tend to ask a lot of questions. It is the responsibility of the parents to answer them as best as they can and to guide their inquisitiveness in the right direction. To encourage curiosity in your child, parents can involve them in discussions on a broad variety of topics, such as current affairs, technology, art, culture, literature or environmental issues. Introducing your child to new topics can help them to expand their creative skills too.
3. Use activities
Creativity can also come from physically participating in activities and it is necessary for the adults to also initiate fun activities, to further develop the abilities of the child. Parents may need to limit their child’s screen time so that they would not be distracted by digital gadgets. Activities to engage your child can be anything that encourages out-of-the-box thinking, coordination skills, self-expression etc.
- Teach them different ways to solve a problem
Children may be learning to juggle many different problems at the same time, from their school work to their emotions. As a parent, you can help them by showing them the different ways they can solve each of their problems. This pushes them to develop their problem-solving skills and encourages them to look at the issue from different perspectives, even using creativity to find solutions to tricky problems.
Creativity is an important skill for anyone to have. It helps us look at things in a new light, and helps us in our continuous search for innovation and improvements in our lives. Help your child on their creative journey by motivating them to think outside the box, and to express themselves confidently today!
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