Fostering creativity in children at a very young age

Creativity has always been a debatable topic in any blog. But this write-up is different as I have discussed about different ways through which children can foster creativity at a very young age.

I have always given prime importance to creativity in my blogs. The reason for that is quite simple. Children are fearless in their initial years and hence they always are the first ones to try something different. But after couple of years as the child grows up the creativity in them decreases. Hence, the objective of this blog is to bring about different ways through which creativity in children can be fostered at a very young age which cannot be lost even after their teen years. According to an article titled “THE 7 BIGGEST CREATIVITY KILLERS” by GAIA AND ANDREW GRANT, a research was conducted and after analyzing lacs of IQ scores of children and adults it was found that although creativity scores kept on increasing till 1990, there has been a significant drop in the numbers since that period. It was also found that in a sample of about 1500 children aged 3-5, 98 percent ranked as “geniuses” in divergent thinking. While the percent fell to just 32 percent for children aged 8-10 years and by the age 13-15 years it declined further to a 10 percent. These figures are real and you can read about this interesting observation by clicking on the title of the article mentioned above.

Now let us get back and try to understand why does our creativity fall to such an enormous after our initial childhood days? The question is quite difficult to answer. But the one thing that I have observed in children is that they are quite inquisitive in learning new things and never feel bored in trying different things. But when we reach adulthood we are bound by the pressures of the society. We kill our creativity by doing the routing chore activities and thereby avoiding our inner voice which tells us to do something different. There is a child inside all of us which wants to try different and unique things but has been succumbed because of the external pressures of the society. Hence; the need of the hour is to encourage children in such a manner that they do not leave this creativity and curiosity. They should be encouraged to try different things in creative manner. Therefore, it is very important to foster creativity in children at a tender age of 5-12 years. In this blog I will try to cover up different ways through which you can encourage children to be creative and produce wonderful ideas indefinitely.

So let me start off by explaining each and every point in complete detail; so that children can find the freedom of expression in developing new ideas and concepts through creative means:

• Assign a place for creating: This is the most important thing for a child. When you give him the space to think about things with their belongings they are at their best. They can then think creatively and come up with astonishing ideas which have never been thought of. The key is to observe the child when they are alone and see how they are using the different tools that are available in the room to creative purposes. This will help us learn more about how creatively the child is thinking and can be used as a benchmark for future creative ideas.

• Expose them to imaging places and things that they will only dream of: When you take the child to a zoo and see a lion or tiger tell them to visualize about being in an African Safari. Ask them what kind of animals will they encounter over there? What would the Safari look like? How would the smell of animals be like? What noises would the animals make? This way you can develop creativity in children. You can even ask them to imagine being Popeye and Bluto, the bad guy takes away Olive to a jungle where there are different types of animals. Now ask them if they are Popeye; how will they save Olive from the animals and Bluto simultaneously? The answers that they give will instill creativity and will encourage them to think differently in a lighter vain as children love cartoons.

• Give free time to children: Leave the child with some free time. You know creativity comes during times when your mind is completely free. This way they can play with their toys and do things in an unstructured way. This way they will do something different which was never thought of which will instill creativity in them.

• Ask questions which instill creativity in children: When you are alone with the child ask them to come up with creative solutions to puzzles or ask them to mention their most creative moments. This way they will give creative ideas which are different and are never tried before.

• Arouse critical thinking in children: When the child gets older ask them how they would have solved a particular problem if they were about 2 years younger? Ask them to give reasons as to why they would approach the problem differently now as opposed to two years ago. This way you can brainstorm the child and get new thoughts from their creative minds which can give fresh outlook on the scenario.

I would like to end this blog by mentioning a quote from “William Blake”

“What is now proved was once only imagined.”

Hence, always encourage children to imagine and visualize the world in an entirely different way. This way they will instill creativity in their lives and will cultivate these habits since a very young age. If you have any questions or comments on this subject; feel free to follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor, http://hardik.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way

Louisville, KY 40243-2311

United States

http://www.practutor.com

Developing character traits in children - A huge responsibility on tutors

My blogs have always been about instilling creativity in education domain. But today this write-up is focused on a very important factor which can make or break a child’s future. I will be writing about different ways through which character traits can be developed in children by tutors.

Every time I have planned to write something on teaching the very first thing that comes into my mind is children. You might also agree with the fact that majority of my blogs have been focused on children because they are the future of the world. We want our future to be bright and knowledgeable. Hence, there has been a constant effort on my part to provide useful information on making lives easier for children. This blog has been written with a different focus. The attention has been towards developing or building a strong character in children. This requires great commitment on the part of the tutors. Not only do they have to see that the children are focused on their studies but they also have to inculcate various positive traits that can shape the future of the children in a better way.

I have always said that at a tender age of 10-15 years it is very easy to be influenced by the surroundings and here the responsibility of parents is also paramount because children like to follow their parents. They copy their behavior, sometimes the way they talk and walk. All the major characteristics of building a strong character in the child comes from the society as a whole. Tutors are also part of the society hence; they should try to use different techniques through which a strong foundation can be built for the children so that a better future can be paved for them. Another major reason for focusing on developing character in children is to enhance their ability to understand the difference between the good and the bad thing and distinguish between right and wrong behavior. In this blog I will try to cover this area with examples to give you a fair idea of what ought to be done to build a strong character in children.

So let us begin this voyage with a quote from Helen Keller,

““Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” 

Hence, always remember that children need to be given their space to learn from their own experiences about the good and bad things. But always tell them that you are there for them if they need you. There are different ways of teaching good character traits to children but the most important thing is to make them do self-exercises. This will make them understand better and it will be more like a fun-filled game for them. So let me give you some of the important techniques through which tutors can develop strong character traits in children in their early age:

· Ask them to prepare a project and collect pictures of their heroes which include traits that they love about them: This is a very important exercise as the child can not only think of it as a game but also as learning experience. The other part of the exercise to make them read these traits day-in-and-out so that they can learn something positive from these traits and inculcate positive things from their heroes. For example; they can collect an image with the quote,

“The *amazing* can only be created by facing fear, risk and failure during the process.”

Or something like this:

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

When children read these quotes again and again everyday they inculcate positive changes and are able to absorb positive energy from these images. Moreover, tutors can even ask them write in their own words what their super hero would like to describe these quotes in their own words. This way you will not only encourage creativity in the child you will also build future generations of positive minded individuals. Ask the child to save the quote as wallpaper on their PC as a reminder and ask them to see it whenever they face any difficulty. This way you will give them the required independence and build positive character in them.

• Inform children about the true meaning of a particular personality trait: Read comic strips that describe particular personality trait of the super hero to the children. This way they will come to know what exactly is braveness, fearlessness, courage, bravery, heroism, boldness, righteous, honest and truthfulness. By depicting these traits through comics you give the children the scope to visualize all these character traits and they will then try to inculcate these behaviors in their day-to-day lives which will make them a better person for future. Whenever you see a positive personality trait in a child appreciate it immediately. For example; if you find that a child waits for your conversation to end before asking relevant questions point out to him/her that they did something respectful by allowing you to speak up completely before putting their point of view.

Once the child is well-aware of different character traits; ask them to differentiate between them. Encourage them to learn more about their favorite superheroes by reading comics and seeing videos. This way they will develop positive character traits for their future. This is a great responsibility of a tutor; as they are the ones who teach the children about different things apart from parents. Hence; it becomes their moral duty to inculcate positive character traits in children in a fun-loving manner.

I would like to conclude this blog by encouraging all the tutors to participate in healthy discussions and post your comments and feedback on this blog. You can follow us at:

http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor, http://hardik.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way

Louisville, KY 40243-2311

United States

http://www.practutor.com