healthykids
experts. Childhood creativity, nurtured both in the classroom and at home, is crucial for developing qualities such as sound decision-making, flexible thinking and mental resiliency. Analyzing more than 150 stud- ies across the fields of psychol- ogy, neuroscience, education and business management, the Center for Childhood Creativity, in Sausalito, California, found many important life skills are affiliated with a creative upbringing. The resulting white paper, Inspiring a Generation
Ways to Spark a Child’s Creativity by April Thompson
YAY FOR PLAY
W
hether it’s playing dress-up, making forts from sofa cushions or drawing pic-
tures, creative moments can define and distinguish a happy childhood. Yet it’s not all just fun and games, according to
to Create, underscores that rather than simply being an innate trait, creativity can be taught. “Creativity should be an inte- gral part of every child’s educa- tion. The research shows that we
can avoid the drop in original thinking that happens as students move into early adolescence,” reports Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind. Creativity isn’t only child’s play; parents also could do well to infuse their own lives with its discoveries and delights. “Through creativity, parents can reawaken a sense of wonder and joy, and nurture characteristics like patience,” says Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children.
Engaging Parents Cameron wrote the book in part to guide her own daughter,
actress and film director Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, in her creative journey through motherhood. While many such works focus on art projects for kids, Cameron’s book emphasizes activities that put creative fuel in the parental tank. For example, she rec- ommends parents take up the ritual of “morning pages”; writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts the first thing each morning. Jean Van’t Hul, author of The Artful
Parent, started a daily sketchbook prac- tice for herself and to set an example for her kids. “I like that the kids see me creating regularly and they’ve joined in a couple times. I also want to get over my self-limited belief that I’m not a good artist,” remarks Van’t Hul, who blogs at
ArtfulParent.com.
Engaging Kids
A family ritual, like a bedtime story or relationship with a pet, can be re-imag- ined to inspire household members to co-create together. “Instead of always reading to my kids, we take turns mak- ing up stories by ‘giving’ each other three things, like an airplane, a shovel and a pair of pants, which we have to use in a story,” says Nicole Corey Rada, a working mother of two in Richmond, Virginia. “Sometimes, we pretend our pets are having conversations, and use different voices and accents to express what they might be saying, given their circumstance at the time. This is a fam-
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam YOGA
-Please join us for classes in our well-appointed studio on our beautiful 50 acre property
Contact us for directions, dates and times of classes
Visit our web site at
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Email:
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18 Pocono, PA / Warren Co., NJ
HealthyLehighValley.com
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