Are You Creative?

For children to be given the chance to be creative they need space, opportunity, encouragement and assistance.
Some adults might shy away from offering this to the children in their care as they feel that they are not creative themselves.
 As Henri Matisse said Creativity Takes Courage
Rather than fear creativity, see it as a challenge -  a challenge which will benefit both adult and child.
If you are feeling
  • I've never been good at making things
  • I wouldn't know where to start
  • I have no imagination
  • I am useless with my hands.......
 Some points to think about
  • You can learn together - good for emotional bonding
  • It doesn't have to 'look 'right - there is no right and wrong
  • Experiment - different materials, different approaches, even different moods
  • It is just for fun - no pressure

Things you could do to inspire and build your confidence in your own creativity
  • Examine art and design in the small world that you live - look in your home, in catalogues, on the internet. Everything once had a beginning.
  • Try to work out how something was made
  • Spend time alone, away from others, doing your own thing, with just your own thoughts, daydreaming.
  • Anything you are about to throw away - think about it, could you make something with it? What could you turn it into?
  • What have you got already that you could add to it to make it better, stronger, suitable
  • Dont shy away from being messy and making a mess
  • There doesn't always have to be an end result
  • If you really do find things difficult, remember that the child might not - children often have vivid imaginations, don't always see things as adults do and might think of things you would never have imagined yourself. During an activity, your part is in encouraging the thought process by talking, asking questions and encouraging.

The more you do things, the more understanding you will have of properties, procedures, organisation, train of thought, possibilities and one day you might find you are not just  giving your child the chance to be creative but that you actually enjoyed it yourself.





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