Teaching Your Kids Creative Thinking
Need some real strategies and ideas for helping teach your kids creative thinking? Here are several ways to get you started on teaching kids how to think creatively.
In a future where machines will become super intelligent thanks to the immense progress in artificial intelligence, it is essential to think of a different way to teach kids. Whether you are a parent or a teacher, you know the importance of emphasising on out-of-the-box thinking.
For kids to grow up and become successful in the future, they need to harness their creative juices, to be able to approach situations from alternative angles. When you observe children, you will notice that they are full of fresh ideas and look at the world from a different perspective. In other words, you can say that they are non-conforming individuals.
As parents and teachers, it is your role to support the creative abilities of children, allowing them to grow exponentially. Their environment in the early stages will play a huge part in shaping their future.
Going back to the question, is it possible to teach kids to be creative? The answer is yes, but not via the conventional learning techniques. You need to educate them about the different processes and get them to apply those in various situations.
Common Challenges to Creative Thinking
Developing creativity is not an easy process. There are a myriad of barriers which makes it harder for kids to tap into their creative juices. One major obstacle is confidence, as thinking-out-of-the-box requires a lot of courage.
When kids tend to be different from their peers, it may or may not be well-accepted. Also, there is the fear of failure, which prevents them from being creative. As a result, they should be confident about their views and the way they express themselves.
Another common obstacle that parents and teachers often happen to face is how they can teach creativity. They don’t know how to assess it, nor does anyone have a proper idea on how to compare all types of innovative thinking.
On top of that, it requires a lot of time, which doesn’t fit into the regular school schedule. As each period tends to be an hour or less, teachers and parents have to race against the clock to cover the curriculum. Also, they have to deal with several interruptions, which prevents children from spending time on the non-core parts of education.
How to Get Creative Juices Flowing
When you work together with your children, it is easier to tap into their innovative ideas. There are several activities you can indulge in which will help your kids become creative.
Ask Open-ended Questions
If you want your children to think out-of-the-box, you need to come up with countless ways that encourage this activity. One technique is to ask children open-ended questions, which lets their minds wander to find the solution.
These types of queries will encourage kids to think about new ideas and come up with the right answers. Over time, they will start to develop personal responses, which will play a huge role in their creative identity.
Avoid making the questions extremely complex, as this can confuse them or even cause them to lose interest in the topic, which defeats the purpose of this exercise. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to open-ended questions. You just need kids to be creative.
Have Art Sessions
Art is one of the best ways to get kids to use their creative juices. It gives them an opportunity to express themselves. You can ask children to make different types of prints, work with clay, or draw their heart out.
These activities are simple and give you a snapshot of the creative abilities of children. While having art sessions, do keep in mind that you shouldn’t make any attempts to correct the kids. If you find their work to be different, make it a point to ask them why to seek deeper insight. At the same time, this way, you are giving the children a chance to explain how they think.
When they play with colours, they can see how different hues combine to give new shades. Similarly, they will discover that adding more layers of the same colour will make the tones darker.
Use Movement and Music
Every child is different, due to which you need to use a variety of activities and techniques to help them discover their creative potential. With the help of movement, dance, and music, you can get children to explore different ways, which will assist in innovative thinking.
You can ask children to make music however they want to. For example, they can make sounds with their mouths or tap on various objects to get various beats. Try to get every child to make a different sound, which will help with out-of-the-box thinking.
Another way would be to play music and ask the kids to dance according to how the tunes make them want to move their bodies. You can also have a game where they have to express various emotions through movement.
Don’t be Over Reliant on Technology for Teaching Creativity
You can use a variety of digital tools which will help you with the above activities if the children aren’t interested in doing them the conventional way. For example, there are plenty of apps which will help children draw and colour without the need for painting brushes, pencils, and erasers.
At the same time, don’t be over reliant on technology, as it can do more harm than good. The best thing is to find the right balance between the two so that it will only benefit the kids. Creativity is the future in a world which is destined to become dependent on technology that helps children prepare for careers which are extremely hard to automate.
While you can’t teach creative processes, you can provide ample support to the kids for their ideas via various activities. It is important for parents and teachers to focus on the relationships with children, which can make or break innovative thinking. Kids need an environment where they can explore a variety of ideas without facing disapproval or fear!
