What is creativity
Creative development in children implies a non-standard approach to a certain situation, creative problem solving.
A creative person is not only someone who draws or sings well.
People with creative abilities strive to explore the world around them and discover something new for themselves. They are inventive and put their knowledge into practice. Creative individuals have well-developed fantasy and imagination: they can discern the unusual in the ordinary. They are not afraid to take the initiative.
Creativity means creating, creating something new and unusual.
Games and exercises to develop creativity
We have selected games and exercises that can develop creativity from an early preschool age.
- Varied item. Take an ordinary object and ask your child to name unusual ways to use it. Help your child by offering your options if he is at a loss. The more original the idea, the better. This game helps develop flexibility of thinking, imagination, and creativity.
- Mysterious candle. In the evening, before going to bed, light a candle and play with your child, imagining what the shadows from the candle look like. You can even make up a whole story. Encourage specificity in the plot.
- Carpet plane. Invite your child to imagine where he would go if he had a magic flying carpet. Will it be some real place or a fictional one, will he fly alone or with someone, what will he do there, what will he see. The more questions, the more space for imagination.
- Toy Stories. Like the Toy Story cartoon, invite your child to fantasize about his toys. What do toys do when no one is home? Who is friends with which toys, and who is a loner? Do they get bored when you don't play with them for a long time?
- Unusual blot. Place a drop of paint on a piece of paper and invite your child to turn it into something he wants. He can finish painting with his finger or draw outlines on dried paint. Together, come up with a story about how something new came out of a blot.
- What is the nature of the item? Invite your child to come up with the character of an inanimate object, for example, a refrigerator, a brush, a comb. You can make up a story about how this object ended up in the hands of a harmful boy, and how the mood of the object changed.
- Crocodile. Invite the family to play crocodile, where the leader guesses what needs to be depicted, and the rest guess. The game is truly exciting and does not require special preparation, while it perfectly develops the child’s acting abilities.
At what age should creativity be developed?
Children of early age are the best period when one should engage in the education of a creative personality. Because it is young children who develop curiosity about almost everything. They happily take on any activity.
Many experts believe that developed creative potential is the merit of parents. Every child has certain creative inclinations by nature. They can manifest themselves in the baby to a small extent on their own. Therefore, the task of parents is to develop creative abilities. This must be done at an early age.
According to experts, the most favorable period is from a very early age and up to 5 years. A person is not born with certain abilities; his skills can be developed throughout his life. If you work with your child to develop creative abilities from an early age, provide him with freedom and a variety of activities, then he will quickly develop an interest in certain areas.
The creative inclinations of a child are manifested not only in the form of painted wallpaper. Climbing onto a chair on your own, getting a phone, or any other action by a child are also some kind of creative acts. Little fidgets enjoy exploring the world around them and learning to use everyday objects in their own way. The child has certain goals and achieves them using non-standard methods.
From about two years of age, the child’s personality begins to actively develop. Creative abilities develop more intensively during this period. The child has increased curiosity, he persistently tries to achieve his goal. This age is also characterized by a vivid imagination and increased emotional sensitivity.
What are creative abilities, what do they include and why develop them?
The process of creating something new, different from what already exists, is called creativity.
Creative abilities presuppose a person's ability to diversify thinking, which is capable of finding non-standard solutions for quite ordinary situations. Most often, such abilities are not innate and require special conditions for their development.
Creative abilities include:
- active imagination;
- flexible thinking;
- ability to be receptive;
- developed intuition;
- initiative;
- the ability to apply theory in life;
- curiosity.
The development of creative abilities of preschoolers is no less important than the development of intellectual skills, thinking and memory, since all these processes are interconnected. Creativity in teaching a child will not only bring him pleasure from exploring the world around him, but also undoubted benefits for further learning in life.
Conditions for talent development
In order to successfully develop creative qualities in a child, you must adhere to the following rules:
- Creativity should start at an early age
- The child must be given freedom to choose creative activities.
- In order for the child to be able to choose the type of creativity that interests him, it is important to diversify these types of activities, and not stick to a specific one.
- The environment for successful development must be favorable
- It is very important to support your child in any of his endeavors. Doing something creatively together and your positive assessment is the best motivation for the little man.
- It is necessary to constantly maintain the toddler’s interest in creativity.
Did you know that every person has a creative side? You just need to develop these abilities
Basic methods for developing creative abilities in children
In fact, any ordinary activity can become a source of creative inspiration. You need to show a little imagination. And since young children have a very rich imagination, let your baby become your assistant in one activity or another. For example, when baking, invite your child to shape the cookies themselves. Or ask for help decorating a cake. You can also be creative when cleaning up toys. Let the baby decide which toys to put in the top drawer today and which ones in the bottom drawer. I think the idea is clear, you just need to introduce a creative touch into your everyday life. The little one will be very happy to do household chores with mom or dad.
Games with your baby are perfect for developing creative abilities. You can make some simple craft together, such as a starry sky. To do this, take a piece of black paper, spread it with glue and sprinkle salt on top (wipe off the excess from the paper). Also, for example, playing with cereals will provide your little one with bright emotions, creating multi-colored masterpieces.
Observe nature. Walk with your child more often, pay attention to various phenomena, animals, birds. Talk, analyze. The surrounding nature is an excellent source for the development of creative potential.
In addition to such simple ways to develop children's creative abilities, there are also more “professional” methods. Let's look at each of them in more detail.
Puppet show
A home puppet theater helps develop a child's imagination. Buy various finger puppets, or sew them yourself. Allow your child to organize a home theater at family holidays, or for no particular reason. Give your child unlimited flights of imagination. And the approval of adults will only evoke bright and positive emotions in the little creator.
Drawing
You can begin to develop children’s artistic and creative abilities as early as six months of age. Today, there is a wide selection of different drawing tools available for little artists. Finger paints are perfect for very young children. Trusted and well-known manufacturers produce harmless paints that are very easy to clean.
Almost all children love to draw, and it is important for parents to provide their child with this opportunity. This process not only contributes to the development of creative abilities. Drawing for children is very useful.
With the help of drawing, children develop fine motor skills, creativity, the baby learns to express his emotions, analyze and compare. By painting with his fingers, the little artist learns about the world and gets a better understanding of colors. Later, when the baby grows up, artistic activities can be expanded and the baby can be introduced to felt-tip pens, pencils, brushes and paints. This will help prepare the hand for writing. One famous teacher V. Sukhomlinsky wrote that on the fingertips of babies there are nerve endings that are responsible for the functioning of the brain.
To learn how to develop artistic talent in a child, read the article on how to teach a child to draw
Modeling for children
Just like drawing, modeling is a very useful activity for children. Working with hands and fingers, fine motor skills and creative thinking develop perfectly. From plasticine, a child can roll sausages, form balls, and sculpt simple shapes. You can make your own play dough for children. Don't limit your baby's imagination. You can conduct joint activities, even creating paintings.
modeling with children
Crafts and applications
For older children, crafts and applications can be excellent helpers in creative development. Buy sets of colored paper, cardboard, various ribbons, and beads. Teach your child to cut.
Carefully! Scissors and small objects should only be used under adult supervision
Draw various shapes, animals, birds, trees or something else on colored paper. Together with your child, cut out the resulting drawings and glue them onto cardboard. There are a huge number of examples of simple applications with children on the Internet.
Reading with children
Reading to children promotes faster development of the child's speech, his imagination, and has a positive effect on the development of memory. Try to read to your child every day. These can be fairy tales, good stories and poems. The child will have great fun.
Instill a love of books and treat printed publications with care. Always put the book away after reading. It should not become a toy for the baby.
Music
musical development of a child
From a very early age, it is recommended for the toddler to include classical music for children and funny children's songs. Music helps in the development of a baby's hearing, memory and creative thinking. Sing songs, dance with your baby, praise him every time.
If your child can play a tune, you might consider sending him to a music school.
Read the article about children's musical development.
