Being a child carer, you will be spending a great deal of time with someone else's child. And the parent of that child will be expecting you to encourage some of sort of interaction and stimulation of their child's mind.
They definitely don't want to see their child watching TV or playing games console all day. No matter how tempting that may be.
The best way to encourage interaction and to stimulate the child's mind is through creativity. There are numerous studies which support this. And the best thing about creativity is that it increases a young child's motivation to learn and it aids their intellectual and cognitive development.
Even though numeracy and literacy are very important, the same amount of attention should be given to creativity. Because creativity can help a child to express themselves and allows them to solve problems through ways that have never been thought before.
So how do you encourage a child's creativity? Well this blog post shares 4 ways in how you can do so:
Drawing/Painting
The number one way to allow creative juices to flow freely in children is through
art. By simply getting some paper, pencil and/or paints, you're giving them the chance to paint/sketch what is on their minds.
Allow them to draw what they want and how they want. Creative development can only prosper if you don't restrict a child to a certain process. Let the child discover their own process that works for them. And believe me, you'll be surprised (and impressed) by their artistic achievement.
Music
If you play a musical instrument, then you can get children together so you can perform a song to them. And you can get them to perform with you.
According to
Levinowitz, music plays an extremely important role in a child's development, especially in early years. In particularly language acquisition and reading skills.
Another
study has showed that exposing children to music at an early age helps them learn the meaning of sounds and words. And also, getting the children to dance builds their motor skills and it practices self-expression.
Even if you don't play an instrument, you can play your favourite child-friendly song and sing-a-long with them.
Telling Stories
I am sure you remember when you were little and when you first went to school, the teacher got all the children together and told a story.
The great thing about stories is that it encourages a child to use their imagination. According to a quote by Albert Einstein:
"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
Most fairy tales offer a moral in the story. And these morals help children differentiate between what it is right and wrong. Fairy tales also stimulate creative thinking as well. It encourages children to question the characters' actions and their consequences as well.
And the great thing about stories is that there is an endless collection of children's stories in your local library.
Playtime
The old phrase of “all work and no play makes Jack dull boy” really rings true. You definitely don't want the kids that you're caring for to become bored. And you definitely don't want them to sit in front of the telly.
There is a lot of
research which say that a child who spends too much time in from of the TV will later go on to have poor social skills.
So rather than getting the kids to watch TV, you can let them play. Let the kids spends time with each other and allow them to play games like tig or football. Usually, when you give kids playtime, they'll be using their imagination. You'll be amazed at what they can reenact.
Studies have shown that playtime helps children to become confident, cooperative and intelligent too. So allocate the time for children to freely play.
Thanks for reading. What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you also agree that creativity improves a child's development? And finally, what other tips do you know that would help boost a child's creativity?
Let us know in the comments section below.
Featured image:
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