Children are natural creators as they are born with this innate sense that anything can exist. So, it is no surprise that children are constantly creating with as little or as much of what is available to them. Thinking back to when you were a child, what was your favorite thing to do? Now reflecting upon your answer, would you say that it involved creativity is some way or another? If so, then you have not forgotten what it is like to tune into your creativity. Now going back again to when you were a child, do you remember questioning everything? Children are naturally curious, and it is our job as adults to nurture that creativity and encourage them to continue questioning the world around them because sometimes, they possess the ability to find the answers we were looking for that were right in front of us all along. Now, why would anyone want to squander that type of curiosity? Perhaps it is because some parents fear their children growing up being different, or maybe they don’t want them growing up to become “struggling artists”, or maybe their creativity was squandered when they were children. No matter the reason, children have a natural desire to be curious and creative, and it is our job to allow them to do so.
Creativity can be defined as the desire to make something that has not been made in the same way before. There are also many avenues in which a child can create, whether it is music, painting, dancing, or building, creativity fosters their learning and cognitive development. When a child builds a structure from blocks, he/she is developing their attention maintenance as they focus on where to put the blocks. They also develop their fine motor skills as they steadily place the block where they want without causing the whole structure to fall over. When a child is dancing, they develop their gross motor abilities and learn to become more and more coordinated. When a child is singing, their language abilities are growing and social-emotional development, which has a huge part in a child creating something. When children are allowed to be creative in a way that lets them determine what their creation will be, they experience the joy of putting work and effort into something and having that satisfaction of experiencing it.
One aspect of allowing children to be creative during early childhood involves parents and caregivers understanding that creativity should largely be about the process versus the product. This is one technique parents can use when working with their preschool-aged children, especially when this is the prime age when children begin learning to compare their work with others around them. It is crucial for parents to reassure their children that their work is just as valuable because of the effort they put forth into it. This is also an important time during their development where they begin learning about who they are, what they like, and how to express those things. Self-expression creates an avenue in which a child can learn to think differently about something, problem-solve, and try out new ideas. When children have the opportunity to express their own thoughts and ideas, the world becomes their oyster. We want children to have this confidence and strong attitude about these types of things, because we live in a world where we are taught to constantly compare ourselves to one another and that we are not good enough as we are. It is our job as adults to help guide them through their doubts and insecurities in a way in which they come out the other side feeling empowered and confident. In a way, allowing children to express their creativity helps them build a stronger self-image of themselves. It is incredibly sad that our society has become more about what you have than who you are as a person. When parents work with their children in ways that foster their creativity, it allows them to see into their child’s mind in a way that they otherwise may not have seen under any other circumstance.
I can remember being a child and growing up with two brothers and being the only girl, I always felt that I needed to prove myself so I could “hang with the boys”. But luckily, music was my secret weapon. I had begun playing piano when I was five-years-old and enjoyed the idea of being able to create anything with the power of sound. This helped me build a more concrete perspective of myself because I knew that music was what I loved, and no one could tell me that I was wrong about that. After my brother’s friends told me that I couldn’t play with them, I went to my piano and played my heart out. Because I was sad and angry that I wasn’t important enough to them. But once they heard the music from the upstairs video game room, they all trickled down the stairs and looked at me with their mouths wide open, because now I was important enough to be around because I was good at something they weren’t, and that was what made me special, it was my secret weapon, my own creativity.
Creativity is an essential building block for early child development. It enables
children to think in a way they were meant to. It is also critical that parents and caregivers are aware of this importance and work with their children in a way that fosters their creativity and allows their children to practice self-expression. Creativity hits all the domains of a child’s development and helps them grow up to become strong, well-rounded people with a solid understanding of who they are.