8 Ways to develop creativity in children

Of the six levels of thinking ability, creativity is the highest. In common language the word ‘Creativity’ means generation of a new idea or a product that is novice and appropriate in a particular case. The product could be a piece of artwork, an invention or just a simple creative assignment in a classroom. However, there is not just a single way for a person to be creative, in fact there are other ways of demonstrating one’s creativity. It could be a set of skills and attitudes that a person is capable of, a way of redefining old problems, finding out new ways to solve problems and overcome hurdles, taking calculated risks or pursuing an inner passion.

Creativity is intangible and beyond measurement. Sometimes people misconstrue it as a gift or a fixed trait. It’s not just a virtue of people with a high Intelligence quotient, in fact creativity can be developed in children with average intellect or no special talents.There are many ways in which we can foster creativity in the young minds of children in the classroom or home.

Some of the ways are given below-

1. 1. Create a stress free and compassionate atmosphere – Children must know that their ideas and thoughts in the class are welcomed, no matter how novel they may appear.
   2. Always know your children’s passions- Everyone in his life has areas which they love and are passionate about,the teacher must have one-to-one conversations with the students to know about their passions.
   3. Give feedback that is encouraging- Don’t ever set the standards, let them see for themselves and compare their own work. Always appreciate and motivate self-assessment.
   4. Use words that encourage creativity- Try adding words like “create,” “design,” “invent,” “imagine,” “suppose,” to your assignments. Adding instructions such as “Come up with as many solutions as possible” or “Be creative!” can increase creative performance.
   5. Use methods and techniques that encourage creativity- Encourage innovative techniques and practices in the classroom or at home that can motivate the children to show their creativity.
   6. Nurturing the child’s energy into a positive direction– For students who are undisciplined or misbehaved, often have lots of energy that could be used creatively by finding out their interests and nurturing it.
   7. Protect and support your child’s intrinsic interest and motivation. Intrinsic motivation fuels creativity. Several studies have shown that relying on rewards and incentives in the classroom can undermine intrinsic motivation to complete a task.
   8. Let them know that creativity demands hard work-  The teacher must let the students know that being creative is not as easy as it may seem, often creative people undergo a lot of struggles while working on an assignment.