Many experts believe that families of creative children enjoy spending time being directly and actively involved in the fantasy play and the creative efforts of children. In many ways we believe that caregivers of creative children are childlike themselves. Ellermeyer (1993) reminds us that "parents can directly influence the development of creativity in their children by promoting fantasy in play and curiosity in the early childhood years. Parents of creative preschoolers are generally conceptually abstract thinkers, patient, flexible, open-minded, insightful, and afford their children a high degree of independence." The following environments are conducive to the development and nurturance of creativity of young children:
- provide many possibilities for cooperative role-play that children can change at their whim
- encourage children to create games with spontaneity, without family interference
- always have materials and items available for children to engage in "secretive" play, such as a blanket thrown over an old card table
- provide toys that promote creativity by allowing children to explore and discover, such as hard wooden blocks
© ______ 2006, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reproduction, duplication, or distribution of this material by any means including but not limited to email and blogs is strictly prohibited without the explicit permission of the publisher.
Add your own comment
Ask a Question
Have questions about this article or topic? AskToday on Education.com
Celebrate Memorial Day! Worksheets and Activities About American History WORKBOOKS
May Workbooks are Here!
WE'VE GOT A GREAT ROUND-UP OF ACTIVITIES PERFECT FOR LONG WEEKENDS, STAYCATIONS, VACATIONS ... OR JUST SOME GOOD OLD-FASHIONED FUN!
Get Outside! 10 Playful Activities
Popular Articles
- Kindergarten Sight Words List
- The Five Warning Signs of Asperger's Syndrome
- What Makes a School Effective?
- Child Development Theories
- Why is Play Important? Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Creative Development
- 10 Fun Activities for Children with Autism
- Test Problems: Seven Reasons Why Standardized Tests Are Not Working
- Bullying in Schools
- A Teacher's Guide to Differentiating Instruction
- First Grade Sight Words List
