Overheard in one of our schools last week: “You have to hurry up and defeat Professor Parrot Pants so you can save 1,000 kittens in time to have dessert!”
AND, this is why we love what we do.
Children’s imaginations are a wild and wacky place and getting a glimpse into their flights of fancy can be downright inspiring! Research has provided ample evidence that creativity is a precursor to success in many arenas of life.
So, how do you nurture creativity in your child? A recent NY Times Article offers these ideas:*
-Have Fewer Rules: Encourage Independent Thought and Self Guided Morality
“The parents of ordinary children had an average of six rules, like specific schedules for homework and bedtime. Parents of highly creative children had an average of fewer than one rule.”**
-Free Them to Explore: Let Your Child Pursue Their Own Interests
“When the psychologist Benjamin Bloom led a study of the early roots of world-class musicians, artists, athletes and scientists, he learned that their parents didn’t dream of raising superstar kids. They weren’t drill sergeants or slave drivers. They responded to the intrinsic motivation of their children.”
Are you able to let go and let your child explore, dream, and imagine? It’s the best way to let the spark of their creativity grow!
“Children have the benefit of not knowing what is not possible.” Paul Sloane
*http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/opinion/sunday/how-to-raise-a-creative-child-step-one-back-off.html?_r=0
**http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1989.tb00700.x/abstract