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.
Ask a Question
Have questions about this article or topic? AskToday on Education.com
HOME COOKING
10 Ways to Spice Up Your Barbecue
CELEBRATION
Happy Graduation
WORKBOOKS
New Workbooks Are Here!
Popular Articles
- 20 Great Graduation Quotes
- Examining Possible Causes of ADHD
- Can Inventiveness Be Taught?
- What Do Test Scores Really Say About a School?
- Great Gifts for Middle School Grads
- Unraveling the Mystery of the Allergy Epidemic
- 9 Ways to Encourage Early Literacy
- Ten Great High School Graduation Gifts
- Is High-Stakes Testing Cheating Your Kid?
- Picky Eaters: Tips for Tackling and Myths Debunked
Add your own comment