Tips I learnt about raising creative kids

Recently I read a book "33 Things To Know About Raising Creative Kids" by Whitney Ferre, and would like to share some of the valuable takeaways.

 

Though the title went 33 Things, however, reading through the book was a breeze, as it's brief, to the point and very well organized, such that it's concise and highly digestible. 

Brief summary of the introduction:

The book started off by helping readers to understand the potential  of the right brain and the importance of developing the potentials of the right brain such that both could be raised in a balanced hemisphere. It also highlights the positivity of the right brain training, as the right brain tend to build supportive, hopeful and confidence to create changes.  These attributes are important as innovation and creativity are key to many successful industries today. In the new generations, more talents will be needed to think out of the box and invent solutions to many of the problems that we are facing world wide.

I will not be highlighting all the 33 Things mentioned, instead I will list out some of the basic key takeaways that are easily do-able.

Key Golden learnings:

• Provide unstructured playtime:

This is something so basic and do-able, yet in some society, at least where I am residing, this is a luxury to many children. Kids are usually rushed from one tuition and enrichment classes to another, and are barely left with enough time to rest, even on weekends. Yet, one of the first tips mentioned, was to ensure children are provided unstructured playtime, where they are free to let their imaginations flow and decide on how to fill up this playtime.

• Turn off the TV :

Again another basic and do-able point, yet today many children as spending too much time glued to the TV while the tired parents are busy with their chores once home. Instead parents should provide children more time spent with coloring books, craft materials and even sticker books.

• Keep it simple :

We are assured that creativity does not require expensive and messy materials, just basic drawing tools such as paper and coloring materials and a small work area would serve it's functions well.

• There is no such thing as a mistake : 

 I would like to highlight this, as I personally am so guilty, guilty and guilty of this.

Very frequently, parents are too quick to jump in to correct or offer advises to the children as they are very focused on their masterpieces. "This color does not go well with that", "The sea cannot be brown" or "You have left a smudge here". However, we have to refrain from repeating this mistake, so that the little ones can learn to realize what could have gone wrong and be improved, and quickly creatively work on a solution. Of course, this doesn't mean we can remain silence, instead we could adopt a softer approach to find opportunities to just demonstrate/ offer alternatives for their considerations, thus retaining their rights to decide which works better for them.



What I had provided above, are just a few of the key points, there are many other enlightening tips, such as getting outside of the house, display the kid's master pieces, let the kids opportunity to decide and dress themselves, and create your own holiday expressions such as jack-o lanterns.

If you find these information useful, I strongly suggest you find out more about the book or visit their website at http://www.creativelyfit.com/

I hope you will benefit as much as I have from her book and work.