What do highly creative children look like, and how do we create environments that nurture that nurture their creative spirits?
The following pages have to do with identifying children who are creative and trying to encourage and maintain those wonderful creative spirits.
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Characteristics of creative children
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Creative children – Homes and families
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On fostering or killing creativity in children
As children can be creative in contexts, you may also be interested in these pages as well
Do we want our kids to score well on tests? Or, do we want our children to be creative, inventive, and imaginative? Do we want kids who are compliant and obedient; or ones who are self-starters and risk-takers? And is there a way to have it all?
I think we are rather conflicted in our attitudes about child rearing, at least in the U.S.. We give lip-service to wanting children who are bright, and inventive, and creative but then do everything to take that out of them. I am not saying that children do not need rules, frameworks, or structure. What I am saying is that both our parenting and schooling needs to find some sense of balanced. Adults learn to compartmentalize their lives and adopt socially acceptable behaviors when needed. Children need to learn the same thing.
And while I am closely skirting the topic of child development, parents listen up! Children do not learn appropriate social behaviors and interactions by shoving phones or tablets in their hands ever other minute. Early on children learn by imitation, and by using all those wonderful “mirror” neurons they were born with. This is why parents are our first and most powerful teachers.
BUT please know this about creativity, by its very nature, it is often messy and noisy. Adults need to learn to expect this and make allowances, just as children need to learn how to clean up their messes. The linked pages in this area have many, many resources for both understanding creative children and tips on environments that encourage creativity in children. In this area I have also listed some books for creative children. Please spend some time checking them out.