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Developing the Creative Child

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Lubica Misevski

The Creative Child

Developing your child's creative nature through different mediums, will help them learn skills that will last a lifetime.

How do we solve problems we face? We come up often with creative solutions. How do we improve the world? We come up with new ways of doing things. This all stems from creativity, and being open to doing things in new ways. It is a skill we all need to improve continually and to learn how to develop these skills is of benefit to us all, especially our children.

Art and Music are usually associated with creativity, but there are many ways to develop your child’s creativity. Even simply asking them what the things they would like to do on the weekend, encourages free thought and if probed will present many ideas and develop the pathway. It could be as simple as asking what would you like to do on the weekend? And then following up with what else? And then what?

To take a more structured approach to the ages, the following might be useful to you.

Age’s 2 - 4

A drawing, painting, play doh age. This age is when your child learns they can create, make pictures, try to write their name, make shapes from play doh, do finger paintings, and otherwise. They also develop their motor skills in performing these tasks, and get a great sense of enjoyment from the task.

Age’s 5 - 7

At this stage children are fascinated with the colour range of a box of pencils, how you can draw a person, or a car. They can see the connection between art and the world and are very eager to learn ways of doing and creating. Encouragement will motivate them to do and learn more, and recognizing the bird in their drawing will fill them with confidence.

They are looking for ways to express themselves and their ideas.

Age’s 7 to 9

At this stage children are starting to develop an association with symbols, for example, red heart for love, orange sun, or a blue sky. The details of their drawings and art become noticeably better and more detailed. They might give dad a hat, that he always wears or mum her favourite handbag. They have increased attention span and are developing their fine motor skills.

To develop your child at each of these stages, provide them with a wide variety of choice and materials to work with? Ask them what they want to create and why and avoid any project has to be done a certain way. This is about free form thinking and creation and should not be boxed into rules or ways.

Letting them know that you love what they do by hanging their picture on the fridge. Putting their drawing on the cupboard or wall goes a long way to encourage and build their confidence.

Some Material Suggestions

Play Dough or Clay
Paint
Easel
Sand
Pencils and Paper
Chalk and Crayons

Of course if you have painting’s and pictures your children have done, we would love to see them. Maybe even post them online for your little one’s to see. Please send them through.

Posted in child education, creative child, Early child education

Music And Child Development

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Lubica Misevski

Music & Child Development

As you know music is one of the most magical forms of entertainment and enjoyment, from the moment we are born. And for most of us this entertainment never ceases.

The wonderful thing about music is not only is it enjoyable but it taps into a number of areas for child development. A study by “Joyce Eastlund Gromko” found that children who receive music training will develop aural skills. They learn words faster than children who do not learn music.

I guess when we think about this further, I do not know about you, but when I recite the alphabet I sing it in my head. I enjoy the song, and because I enjoy I am sure I sang it many times. When I was younger, I probably wanted to learn it, and was motivated to do so.

I don’t know if such a test exists, but wouldn’t it be interesting to see how different children performed. One hearing the alphabet through instruction, and the other learning it through music? My guess would be that the one who enjoyed learning the alphabet through music would learn it quicker, and hold onto the information more permanently.

In fact there are a number of things that music is commonly believed to have an effect on, when it comes to child development;

Creativity - when your little one, makes words up because they forget how they go

Dance - Motor skills

Team Work & Social Skills - Playing music with other children

And let's not forget fun.

Music plays a crucial role in child development, as it builds and develops social, emotional, and intellectual skills.

So go ahead sing to your little one, bang the table with a wooden block, play music to them, and listen to it until you know the words yourself.

I often find myself these day’s driving along listening to nursery rhymes singing the songs to realise I am the only one in the car. Only sometimes do I then put the radio on :).

I love the enjoyment music brings my children, and how quickly our daughter learned her ABC through the song. Could there be a more enjoyable way to learn them?

We would love to hear about what your little one has learned through music, their favourite song, or instrument?

Music is magical and so are children, it seems like the perfect combination!

Posted in child education, creative child, Early child education, music and children

Children And Being Artistic

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Lubica Misevski

Child development, the arts, and your little ones brain.

Today's post is dedicated to the creative child in all of us. And how we might help our little ones find their creative spirit, and why this matters.

A report produced by the Dana Consortium coming out of Harvard looks specifically at Learning, Arts, and the Brain. What we found interesting about this report was the connection with the Arts and child development.

It is of course our view that your child has intelligence in all the multiple-intelligence areas. Merely knowing about them individually we are all best placed to nurture our children.

Music - Surprisingly it turns out that the practice of music helps in the study of symmetries, in mathematics, and reading. A child practicing music will also develop the pathway for literacy.

Role Play & Acting - This appears to improve memory, recollection and to be able to understand and look at general knowledge.

Dance - By practising and learning dance, children develop observational skills. This could transfer to other cognitive areas.

The study shows that the “appreciation of the Art’s will lead to pleasure in producing that Art." It also demonstrates how practicing an Art can impact and develop many areas of the brain and the associated pathways. And how visual, linguistic, movement, and music develop completely different areas within the brain.

So whether your child likes music, dance, role-playing, painting or any of the arts. All of them are benefiting brain functions, and each one has a different result.

So have fun, paint a picture, role-play, dance and listen to music, it all matters and it works.

Posted in child education, creative child, Early child education, learning style

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