Nurturing Creative Children

Dr. YKK's Expert Opinion on Nurturing Creative Children

on Dumex website.

Dear Parents, Uncles, Aunties, Grandparents, Great Grandparents, and all those who know a child,

Hi. My name’s KK Yew, or better known as “Dr. YKK”. And I have something to share with you that will bring you and the child you know tremendous joy.
 

I have a daughter, Lily, aged 5. As a father, I know it is my responsibility to her to ensure that she grows up to be the ideal daughter that all fathers dream of, for her own benefit and those around her.
No matter how hectic my schedule is as the father of 4 children, and how stressed day-to-day living and working can be, I know I can take everything in my stride just by coming home and seeing my daughter greeting me. Watching her smile, her innocence and the display of her unconditional love towards me simply by her asking me how my day went is enough to make life worthwhile.

Sheer Delight

All parents know what I’m talking about. The joy you get when you can communicate constructively with your child, with shouts of laughter and delight in the air while doing so, cannot be described in words. Yet it is something that most parents don’t spend enough time doing.
A child’s mind needs to be developed and nurtured by communicating with adults. Think about it – how else could a child’s mind develop, if not by interacting with the grown ones within her family? And if the grown ones simply do not respond to their children’s needs, why should they wonder why their children are not responsive to them when they grow up?

Talking And Interacting

My daughter and I converse very frequently. I make it a point to spend at least one hour with her every day talking to her about her activities for the day. How her kindergarten went. What’s her teacher is like. Who her friends are. Everything you and I would say to each other except that they are all in the context of a 5- year-old and her surroundings.

Conversations And The Light

The strange thing is this: I have found conversing with her to be as enlightening to me as it is to her. I learned to see things from a 5-year-old’s point of view. I have actually got some great ideas from her for some of the projects in creativity that I do. This is simply because as adults, our mindsets are fixed through habits and our environment. A child’s mind has not yet developed a box around their thoughts that would restrict his or her creativity. There is much we can learn from children.

We only need to communicate with them more!

Few-Word “Conversations

Some parents find it hard to communicate with their children. You may even be one of them. Yet communicating with them is essential to develop that strong bond and love that is so necessary in order for values to be easily instilled in them. Without any interaction with your child apart from the usual “Stop That!”, “Don’t Do That!”, “Go To Your Room!” orders, we can’t expect their minds to develop very much, at a time when they most need to be guided, nurtured and taken good care of.

The Source For Never-Ending Joy

In my quest to interact with my child more than the usual day-to-day activities, I began thinking – what would really capture Lily’s attention and create things for conversation that would educate her at the same time? I didn’t search for too long. I started reading bedtime stories to her. I found sources in some of the classic bedtime stories like 1001 Arabian Nights and those classic fairy tales.

Lily would listen to me attentively while I’m reading, and she would interrupt now and then to ask why this and why that and what’s that thing you said and what’s so important about something else. There is simply no better way to get her involved and learn at the same time than by the simple act of reading stories to her. Her vocabulary grew by the day, and now she can even read those stories by herself!

However, as good as those stories were, they were limited. I’ve run out of stories to read to her, and she was restless.

The Never-Ending Story!

Then it struck me. I would get her a never-ending source of stories filled with exciting adventures and heroes and heroines. I would get her to explore unknown lands and kingdoms with those characters. I would create new and exciting characters for her to relate to and share their adventures with. Seeing how much she enjoyed those Arabian Nights stories, similar stories with even more exciting characters would thrill her even more!

She Becomes The Heroine!

Then an even better thought occurred to me. Why not make her the heroine in those stories? Instead of experiencing the stories from a 3rd party’s point of view, she would be experiencing those adventures first hand!

To us, it’s not much of a difference. After all, a story is a story. But to the child, it’s a whole new world! Instead of looking over the shoulder of the heroine, she IS the heroine! When the handsome prince is proposing to save the heroine from the clutches of the evil queen, she sees herself being lifted up by him and speeding away from the scene on his galloping horse!

Now things are what they’re supposed to be – stories filled with excitement and adventure with the hero or heroine being the child herself, so that everything is seen from her point of view! It can’t get any better than this!

Spontaneous Excitement

I make up these never-ending stories, spontaneously, as I talk to her just before she sleeps. Being an adult, I’ve experienced many more things that I could adapt to suit her context. Characters and stories simply flowed out from my brain when I converse with Lily. Perhaps it’s because I’m a father, and placed under a situation where I had to get her to sleep or spend the next 3 hours pleading with her to sleep. Or because I’m involved in creativity where I train people to use their minds more to develop solutions to particular problems. And I have the solution to a problem that most parents who read to their children have – an inexpensive source for never-ending stories!

But it doesn’t matter. If it’s stories she wants, it’s stories she’ll get.

Great Benefits!

What’s all the excitement about my stories? Well, they’re purposely thought up to be very descriptive. In every story I try to incorporate a word or two that she should learn up. I try to provoke her to ask me questions on what I have read her. It becomes an educational and learning experience. Her world is a rich one filled with a variety of characters, strange lands, the triumph of good over evil and many more.

Here are some of the simplest ways that you can take part in to help nurture your children's creativity. However, their effectiveness depends on your children's own character and temperament, but it's worth trying them out. If nothing else, they're fun!

If they work for your children, you will end up with very responsive and intelligent children that will not take the world for granted. This is an important enough outcome for most parents...

 

Tip No. 1 - A trip to the Supermarket
Supermarket trips with your child will never be the same again. Now, your child can embark on an isle filled with packages – packet drinks, tin biscuits, candy wrappers and the list goes on. Get him/her to describe the colours and ask him/her why certain packages are packed in a certain manner.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child?

By asking questions on the interesting nature of packaging materials, you can help to inculcate an inquisitive mind in your child. The packages shouting in their vivid colours to shoppers, also aids the child to strengthen his/her familiarity with colours, shapes and sizes.

Mindxercise 1: What product changes its shape when you take it out of its packaging?

 

Answer: All liquid products. First of all, tell your child that bottles and cans are also packaging. Secondly , the learning experience is that liquids take up the shape of its container. For example, when you pour Coke from the bottle to a glass, the Coke will take up the shape of the glass.
 

 

Tip No. 2 - Your child can be the next Leonardo Da Vinci!

Who says it takes skills to be an artist? Allow your child the freedom to explore colours, shapes and patterns simply by setting aside a wall-painting Corner” in your own home.Your child’s interpretation of surrounding nature may well set the stage for a painting enthusiast.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child?

A “Wall-Painting Corner” encourages the artistic flair in your child. The child’s early stages will witness how his/her perception and hand-eye coordination varies including his/her views of the world. For instance, a cat may look like anything but a cat. Take a positive light into your child's explanation for his/her drawings. Encourage his/her expression of ideas by priding his/her artwork to your visiting friends/relatives.

 

Mindxercise 2: Explore geometric shapes with your children. For example, what does a small circle on top of a big circle represent? Look for as many answers as possible.

 

Answer: Snowman, rifle-end, balancing a ball on the head, two marbles, etc.
 

 

Tip No. 3 - Take a walk with your child .
Discover the senses in the comforts of your own garden or a public park with your child. Encourage your child to see, feel, smell, hear and sample the taste of edible fruits and flowers. Complete this sensory adventure by nurturing the child to develop a fine acumen to the sounds of nature – be it birds, insects and the hustle of the wind. Flowers, in particular, hold unbound fascination for the child.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child? Frequent sensory adventures like these aids the child in identifying and attaching meanings with his five basic senses. This aids in the mental, physical and spiritual development of the child.

 

Mindxercise 3: Ask your child to smell a piece of freshly fried chicken or any good aroma food. Then ask him/her take a bite and taste it. Next give him/her a sip of water. Pinch his/her nose so that he/she will not be able to smell and eat the same piece of food again. Is there a difference?

 

Answer: Yes there will be a difference. Our sense of taste depend on the smell. Food will taste bland if there is no smell. Allow your child to make the association.

 

 

Tip No. 4 - Create a treasure chest!

Just like a treasure chest, a used cardboard box or polystyrene foams can be transformed into endless treasures limited only by your child’s imagination. Expand his treasures with decorative items and before you know it, his/her treasure chest is a host to ships, robots, cars, buildings and more.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child?

Answer : Creating a treasure chest allows your child to develop his/her imagination. Cardboard boxes and polystyrene foams provide endless fascination for the child. In fact, the simpler and less expensive the materials, the better they are for the development of imagination. For instance, children often have much more fun playing with packaging materials of the toys rather than with the toys themselves.

 

Mindxercise 4: Ask your child how to reduce the space required to keep the boxes.
 

Answer: You can put the smaller boxes into the bigger one or you could just fold the boxes.

 

Tip No. 5 - The Map of the World
Teach your child to recognize the continents of the world

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child?

Answer : By presenting a different perspective in learning and making it fun, the child is able to enjoy the process and overcome the drudgery of learning.

 

Mindxercise 5: Trace the outline of the map and cut them up into continents of Africa, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas so that they look like jig-saw puzzle pieces. Can any two piece join up nicely together?

 

Answer: Yes. The continents were originally parts a single continent called Pangaea but they drifted apart. Check up your geography books or encyclopaedia for more details.

 

Tip No. 6 - Watching Clouds
Look at the sky. Are there clouds in the sky? If there are, call your child to observe their shapes. Ask him/her to relate the shapes to living objects , for example animals. Can they see dinosaurs, elephants, eagles, tigers, etc? Do not disagree with your child. Instead , encourage him/her to describe the animal-like features to you.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child? Fantasy and imagination are important ingredients for a creative mind. By asking your child to associate cloud shapes with animals, you are nurturing his/her natural and inborn power of association. This will strengthen his/her powers of observation and correlation, a fundamental creative skill.

 

Mindxercise 6: Pour some ice-cold water into a clear glass. Notice the water droplets formed on the outside surface of the glass. How would you determine whether the waterdroplets come from the ice-water inside the glass.

 

Answer: Put some colouring into the ice-water inside the glass. Next get a white tissue paper and wipe the outside droplets with it. Does the paper take up the colour of the ice-water or remain white? The paper remains white proving that the water droplets did not come from inside the glass. They are formed due to the condensation of the water from the air.

 

Tip No. 7 - What Are They Selling?
Whenever a TV commercial comes on the air, ask your child what's being sold and what methods are being used to convince us to buy the products. The kids love this game because the answer isn't always obvious. Sometimes the commercials are subtle, and it can be challenging for young children to identify what's being sold.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child? Children love this game because the answer may not be obvious. The game will stimulate your child's thinking process and make them less gullible to the advertisement claims.

 

Mindxercise 7: Hold a magnet and gently glide it over the TV screen with the TV on. What happens to the picture and why?

 

Answer: The picture will be distorted . At this stage it suffices to explain that TV signals depends on magnetism.

 

Tip No. 8 - Jig-saw Puzzles
Get a jig-saw puzzle set corresponding to the age of your child. Ask him/her to assemble the pieces according to the picture given. Now turn the pieces over so that the pictures are covered. Ask your child to assemble the jig-saw puzzle using these blank pieces. Is there a difference in difficulty in assembling the pieces? Why?

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child?

Answer : Assembling jig-saw pieces provide an important hands-on learning for your child. The pieces with the picture facing up represents knowledge . The blank pieces represent ignorance. The exercise therefore demonstrates the importance of knowledge in problem-solving. That's why children need to go to school.

 

Mindxercise 8: Ask your child to create their own jig-saw puzzles by cutting out pictures from old magazines. What are the differences between this one and the one that you bought?

 

Answer: Listen to your child and discover the differences in perception between him/her and you. It is interesting to find out how his/her thinking works.

 

Tip No. 9 - Paper Fantasy
Ask your child to crumble a piece of paper (tissue or newsprint) in his/her hand. Start with geometric shapes like cubes and pyramids by compressing the crumbled piece of paper. Once he/she is familiar with shaping the paper he/she can proceed to making animals or objects . By tearing, pulling, folding and rolling the paper your child should be able to transform the paper into wings, head, tails or legs. accordingly.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child?

This is a simple but effective exploration of the creativity of your child. Let him/her fantasize about his/her creation. Don't worry if the piece of paper doesn't look like the object or animal he/she described. Remember Picasso, the great artist?

 

Mindxercise 9: Can you wrap up fire with a piece of paper?

 

Answer: Yes , you can. That's how lanterns are made.

 

Tip No. 10 - Stacking Cans
Empty drink cans can be great creative playthings for your child. Ask your child to make the tallest structure possible using only 15 cans. Once he/she has finished, ask whether there is any way they could stack them even higher.

Question: How can this nurture creativity in my child? Your child learns about the concept of stability. A flat surface is inherently more stable than a curved surface. To stimulate your child's thinking skills further, ask him/her why cans are usually round and not square or any other shapes

 

Mindxercise 10 : Can you build a stable structure 15 cans high using only the 15 cans?

 

Answer: There are many ways of doing this. You could do it outdoors and fill up the lower cans with water and using progressing less water as you go higher. Make sure you are prepared to get wet. It will be a lot of fun for your kid though. Another way is to use double-sided tape to glue the cans together. You can also stack the cans between two sticks anchored firmly in the ground. There are endless ways of doing this. Just use your imagination!