Suggestions to improve your kids' creativity?

[pattyng]

Hello! I need some help/suggestions!


All this while, I've been trying to get my child and nephew/nieces to focus on academics, but at the moment I think I want to encourage them to use more of their 'right side' of the brain and improve on their creativity. Any suggestions on what kind of creative activities I could do with them, well besides the usual painting/drawing etc?

:thankyou:

[anderaaa]

I really like the puppet shows idea by simkhoo! encourage designing, narrative writing, imagination and confidence in speaking! Speaking of scrapbooking, I have an idea that I've got by browsing through other sites, why not make a photo book? like, make it a theme, of their journey, collect pictures from when they're born till now, it gives them a view of who they are? you can let them decorate/design/write captions it themselves. If you want to publish it professionally for keeping/memory sake, you can do so with P;log (http://myplog.co/#)/(or visit their Facebook) Browsed through their website, and some of their concepts are really good, you can browse through to get some ideas!


Other than that, you can try googling easy crafty activities, I'm sure there are tons of ideas out there!

[pattyng]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!!


Hey slimkhoo, do you know if there’s any classes to take for writing? I feel like it will be a good idea for my young ones to explore their writing with other children too so as to build their confidence level.

Hey anderaaa, thanks for the link/share! Have you tried their services, any feedbacks? It does look interesting and fun for the kids to design and unleash their own creativity!

[Han Seo]

Here are ways to kill a child’s creativity by Daniel Goleman, Paul Kaufman and Michael Ray:



1.\tSurveillance — Hovering over kids, making them feel that they’re constantly being watched while they are working . . . under constant observation, the risk-taking, creative urge goes underground and hides.

2.\tEvaluation — When we constantly make kids worry about how they are doing, they ignore satisfaction with their accomplishments.

3.\tRewards — The excessive use of prizes . . . deprives a child of the in trinsic pleasure of creative activity.

4.\tCompetition — Putting kids in a win-lose situation, where only one person can come out on top . . . negates the process [that] children progress at their own rates.

5.\tOver-control — Constantly telling kid how to do things . . . often leaves children feeling like their originality is a mistake and any exploration a waste of time.

6.\tRestricting choice — Telling children which activities they should engage in instead of letting them follow where their curiosity and passion lead . . . again restricts active exploration and experimentation that might lead to creative discovery and production.

7.\tPressure — Establishing grandiose expectations for a child’s performance . . . often ends up instilling aversion for a subject or activity. . . . Unreasonably high expectations often pressure children to perform and conform within strictly prescribed guidelines, and, again, deter experimentation, exploration, and innovation. Grandiose expectations are often beyond children’s developmental capabilities.

[toddles]

Free play?


Play for play’s sake and not "learning through play" per se?

I find that free play sparks off the imagination best.

[em83]

I agree with the lego idea! I’ve never know my son could build tons of different small buildings from his mind to the actual thing! Recently, he showed me his ‘small little town’. IS STILL PROUD OF HIM!


And anderaaa, I’ve heard about p;log, cool concept that they have and something new that I’ve come across. Am still considering to do one, just the matter about finding time for the whole family hahaha!

[toddles]

slmkhoo:

toddles:

Free play?


Play for play's sake and not \"learning through play\" per se?

I find that free play sparks off the imagination best.

Except that some kids may need help getting started, especially if they have not experienced free play before. Even for my kids who have a lot of free play time, sometimes I would still get the \"I've nothing to do ...\" grumbles, so I made a practice of having a few ideas or extra materials up my sleeve, so to speak. My 'rainy day' cabinet had things like art and craft materials, odds and ends (tissue boxes, toilet roll cores, margarine tubs, yogurt cups etc), beads, wool, and I would let them rummage around when needed.

Another good toy is Lego, not the kits intended to build one particular thing, but the boxes of mixed pieces for kids to make anything they like.

Ah I guess it depends on the age. the younger ones are quite happy with a kitchen play set... or some paper to cut up...

some props definitely help. I love kenten clay!

[channie]

toddles:

slmkhoo:

[quote=\"toddles\"]Free play?


Play for play's sake and not \"learning through play\" per se?

I find that free play sparks off the imagination best.

Except that some kids may need help getting started, especially if they have not experienced free play before. Even for my kids who have a lot of free play time, sometimes I would still get the \"I've nothing to do ...\" grumbles, so I made a practice of having a few ideas or extra materials up my sleeve, so to speak. My 'rainy day' cabinet had things like art and craft materials, odds and ends (tissue boxes, toilet roll cores, margarine tubs, yogurt cups etc), beads, wool, and I would let them rummage around when needed.

Another good toy is Lego, not the kits intended to build one particular thing, but the boxes of mixed pieces for kids to make anything they like.

Ah I guess it depends on the age. the younger ones are quite happy with a kitchen play set... or some paper to cut up...

some props definitely help. I love kenten clay![/quote]
Yes I agree with the kitchen play set, oh memories lol! I think to explore or to improve their imagination, you can play with them, by being the 'customer'. I think from there, you can really see how they think and how their imagination work! :boogie:

[channie]

anderaaa:

I really like the puppet shows idea by simkhoo! encourage designing, narrative writing, imagination and confidence in speaking! Speaking of scrapbooking, I have an idea that I've got by browsing through other sites, why not make a photo book? like, make it a theme, of their journey, collect pictures from when they're born till now, it gives them a view of who they are? you can let them decorate/design/write captions it themselves. If you want to publish it professionally for keeping/memory sake, you can do so with P;log (http://myplog.co/#)/(or visit their Facebook) Browsed through their website, and some of their concepts are really good, you can browse through to get some ideas!


Other than that, you can try googling easy crafty activities, I'm sure there are tons of ideas out there!

This seems quite nice eehhhh! Have you tried it yourself??? :goodpost:

[channie]

slmkhoo:

channie:

[quote=\"anderaaa\"]I really like the puppet shows idea by simkhoo! encourage designing, narrative writing, imagination and confidence in speaking! Speaking of scrapbooking, I have an idea that I've got by browsing through other sites, why not make a photo book? like, make it a theme, of their journey, collect pictures from when they're born till now, it gives them a view of who they are? you can let them decorate/design/write captions it themselves. If you want to publish it professionally for keeping/memory sake, you can do so with P;log (http://myplog.co/#)/(or visit their Facebook) Browsed through their website, and some of their concepts are really good, you can browse through to get some ideas!


Other than that, you can try googling easy crafty activities, I'm sure there are tons of ideas out there!

This seems quite nice eehhhh! Have you tried it yourself??? :goodpost:

Which are ou referring to - puppet shows or scrapbooking?[/quote]Both actually! I like that these activities really will indeed stimulate the kids' creativity and their imagination, great suggestions!