The fantasy land of a child is simple, and still remains the same despite living in the era of PlayStation's, Nintendo and electronics - fun, mess, time and love. Nowadays many of us find ourselves feeling the pressure that being a parent can bring, to give the best to your child, to bring him/her up in the right way, to send them to the appropriate activities, have discipline but not too much. In reality - who can keep up with these unrealistic expectations? Nothing short of a superhero, and I'm sure it would still have flaws.
The key to bringing up a creative, confident and most importantly, a happy child, is to go back to your roots - remember what it was like when you were 3 and what was fun. Ultimate fun and freedom does come with a mess unfortunately, so be sure to cater for that in a controlled environment. Here are 5 tips for the week that help boost the confidence and creativity that help in moulding a happy child and adult :
1- Work from the theory of different types of intelligences.
Sternberg believed that children have different types of intelligences, creative intelligence is gained by encouraging children to question their experiences and what is taken for granted to try and look at alternate links and possibilities.
2- Encourage playing using different mediums that simulate all 3 types of learning
Everyone has a different learning style ; some are visual learners meaning they learn best through colours, flashcards, and visually stimulating material. Auditory learners on the other hand work best with things such as music, songs, rhymes ect. Kineasthetic learners learn 'by doing' and experiencing the things they need to learn by touch. Encouraging play on all 3 levels will help your child develop abilities in all 3 areas and help find his or her strength.
3 - Children will make a mess - let them!
True creativity requires lots of time, dedication and room and freedom to make a mess. As long as the appropriate rules are put in place before play, you should not find difficulty. Usually many children will abide by the rules as long as you clearly state them and the consequences should they be broken.
4 - Praise, praise and praise again!
Even if it's just a master piece of a big blob of black paint, that piece of paper is your child's creation. This is also an opportunity to get to know your child, how he/she is feeling and a small part of their personality: be inquisitive, ask about the colours, the characters, who they are and why they were chosen. You'll be surprised how much you can learn about your child just from a simple drawing or scribble.
5 - Teach the art of imperfection
Often when we only praise someone on their successes, it can send the message to both children and adults that they are entitled to love and praise only when they succeed. This is where the tantrums start; when a child loses a game or does a drawing that appears to be 'not as good'. Children have a very strong need of approval from adults and can often feel like they are letting us down. Loosing in games and rejection are things children need to learn how to deal with effectively from an early age and this can be done by simple reactions towards their play, drawings and games. Children test us all the time, its one of their charms :)
Children are basically simple. In today's world there are a lot of pressures to do this and that, but in reality all children truly need are their basic needs to be met; love, time and faith :)
The key to bringing up a creative, confident and most importantly, a happy child, is to go back to your roots - remember what it was like when you were 3 and what was fun. Ultimate fun and freedom does come with a mess unfortunately, so be sure to cater for that in a controlled environment. Here are 5 tips for the week that help boost the confidence and creativity that help in moulding a happy child and adult :
1- Work from the theory of different types of intelligences.
Sternberg believed that children have different types of intelligences, creative intelligence is gained by encouraging children to question their experiences and what is taken for granted to try and look at alternate links and possibilities.
2- Encourage playing using different mediums that simulate all 3 types of learning
Everyone has a different learning style ; some are visual learners meaning they learn best through colours, flashcards, and visually stimulating material. Auditory learners on the other hand work best with things such as music, songs, rhymes ect. Kineasthetic learners learn 'by doing' and experiencing the things they need to learn by touch. Encouraging play on all 3 levels will help your child develop abilities in all 3 areas and help find his or her strength.
3 - Children will make a mess - let them!
True creativity requires lots of time, dedication and room and freedom to make a mess. As long as the appropriate rules are put in place before play, you should not find difficulty. Usually many children will abide by the rules as long as you clearly state them and the consequences should they be broken.
4 - Praise, praise and praise again!
Even if it's just a master piece of a big blob of black paint, that piece of paper is your child's creation. This is also an opportunity to get to know your child, how he/she is feeling and a small part of their personality: be inquisitive, ask about the colours, the characters, who they are and why they were chosen. You'll be surprised how much you can learn about your child just from a simple drawing or scribble.
5 - Teach the art of imperfection
Often when we only praise someone on their successes, it can send the message to both children and adults that they are entitled to love and praise only when they succeed. This is where the tantrums start; when a child loses a game or does a drawing that appears to be 'not as good'. Children have a very strong need of approval from adults and can often feel like they are letting us down. Loosing in games and rejection are things children need to learn how to deal with effectively from an early age and this can be done by simple reactions towards their play, drawings and games. Children test us all the time, its one of their charms :)
Children are basically simple. In today's world there are a lot of pressures to do this and that, but in reality all children truly need are their basic needs to be met; love, time and faith :)
