Creative Skills

Creativity is about more than choosing the colors for a painting or drawing. It is a way of thinking, problem solving and applying knowledge as well.

Many people assume that creativity is something children are born with and either do or do not have. But in reality, creativity is more skill than inborn talent, and it is a skill parents can help their kids develop.

Creativity is about more than choosing the colors for a painting or drawing. It is a way of thinking, problem solving and applying knowledge as well. From their earliest days, babies respond to contrasts, colors, sounds, and movements.

How they integrate these various experiences will influence their growth and development across many areas, including creativity. In this way, creativity is ageless and timeless. And more importantly, creativity can be acquired, and fostered.

Creative play and activities have a central role in children’s overall learning and development. Kids typically enjoy expressing ideas and exploring their world through songs, dress-ups, art materials, language and movement.

At this age, children spend time refining and expanding on creative art skills and interests learned earlier. They may begin to add details to their artwork that they left off earlier, such as fingers, necks and clothing. Children may also begin to tell stories through their work, which describe their feelings, their surroundings or their friends and family. They begin to develop their own repertoire of objects, such as trees, flowers, teddy bears and cars, which they will be happy to practice drawing again and again. You will find that they have become more critical of their own work and voice their opinion if they are pleased or unhappy with it. Activities that can help in your 6 year old’s Creative skill development:

• Draw 9 empty squares and ask your child to fill them, either using drawings or by writing answers to different questions you ask him, such as what is your favorite musical instrument, song, color or animal.
• Take your child out to a museum or art gallery or even browse online to discover different styles of art used by artists around the world. You can then ask your child to replicate the styles in the different portraits.
• Provide your child with crayons, paint brushes and paint, markers and a white sheet of paper. You can then play different types of music and ask him to follow the beat of the music with each stroke.
• Encourage your child to express his feelings through imagination. For example, ask him “if you were a color, what would you be and why?”
• Help him create another cover page for his favorite book. You can then exhibit his work by hanging it up so others can have a look and respond to it.