Push Children to Be Creative

Technology offers us information at all hours of the day bombarding us with knowledge. With everyone having access to "google" at anytime, children need to be taught to think outside the box. Parents and teachers can provide opportunities for children to be more creative. One way to do this is to provide challenges that can be solved in different ways. Sometimes as adults we provide too much input or steps to complete a project. Next time you plan an activity try just putting materials on a table but don't say how to get to the end result. Let the child explore the materials and create what they like. You can do this with art materials such as glue, paints, paper and decorative items. You could also try it with kitchen items to create a science experiment environment. Regardless of what you set up initially remember to not offer suggestions or request an end result. Just let the children express their creativity. For older children you could offer a challenge such as create a musical instrument using recycled items. If you are outdoors, you can provide loose parts for children to create obstacle courses or whatever they like. You will see it is very hard to stay in the room and not comment. But you will greatly appreciate the end result when you see the pride in your child's face because they created something truly all by themselves.