Unleash the Creative Potential in your Child

Imagine you are on top of a mountain and you watch a beautiful sunset. You admire it and find a deep meaning in it. Your friend is also witness to the same sunset. However, she assigns a different meaning to it. You feel that the sunset would make a lovely painting and decide that you would like to paint it at home that night. Once home, you are all excited about painting the sunset you just observed. You get all your materials ready and sit down to paint. You splash some crimson on your chart and play around with the colour, when your friend peeps in and says you ought to have used a different shade of orange. She also tells you where you need to place your sun in order to give the painting a great look. Read the questions that follow and take a moment to think about how your friend’s words would make you feel.

Question 1: Would you feel that she is right and that you ought to change some aspects of your painting?

OR

Question 2: Would you feel that the sunset holds a certain meaning for you and you know exactly how you want your painting to look?  

If you answered “yes” to question 1, by all means go ahead and make the changes you want to in your painting. However, if you answered “yes” to question 2, then pause to reflect on the consequences of suppressing creativity.

This suppression of creativity is a common occurrence with children. In the quest for perfection or beauty (which is most often demanded by an adult), the child misses out on utilising his creative potential.

How would it be if we could accept unique ideas from children? How would it be if we could focus more on the thinking behind the child’s work? How would it be if we could pay more attention to the process and less to the product? You would have a child that is capable of thinking and not just following instructions. You would have a child that is confident of his judgement and ability. In other words, a champion would emerge…..




<p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1836">Image: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>