HOW TO CULTIVATE YOUR CHILD'S ARTISTIC SKILLS AT HOME

(Or how to make a home environment filled with inspiration and imagination)
SESSION OVERVIEW
  • What is CREATIVITY? How important is it in a persons’ healthy development?
  • The Benefits of Developing Creativity
  • Steps On Developing Your Family's Artistic Skills
    • ​Preparing an Activity Time and Set-up Area
    • Schedule a Creativity Time for Everyone
    • Utilizing Different Kinds of Art Materials
    • Display Your Family's Artistic Projects
  • Conclusion: Take-Away notes
    • ​Who needs to exercise creative development? Is it just for kids?
    • How do we exercise creative development in our own homes?
    • What LIFE SKILLS does one develop through CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT?

session summary:

  • What is CREATIVITY? How important is it in a persons’ healthy development?
    • In order for us to answer our topic on cultivation, let’s ask the question first - What is CREATIVITY? How important is it in a persons’ healthy development? In the past, scientists thought that creativity came solely from the right hemisphere of the brain, but more recent discoveries have shown that many neural networks across the brain spark creativity and control our responses to various stimuli.
    • In recent years, scientific evidence has revealed that mental cognition results from the dynamic interactions of distributed brain areas operating in what’s called the large-scale neural networks. And it DOES NOT just limit its process on only one particular area or hemisphere, but more so across the brain.
  • The Benefits of Developing Creativity
    • Now there are a lot of important terms connected to CREATIVITY. But in order for us to understand it and develop a healthy practice in each of our homes, I think we can focus on these 3 terms:
      • THINKING OUT OF THE BOX – associated with LATERAL THINKING where psychologists like Eduard de Bono defines it as the habit of solving problems by an indirect and creative approach. It is the ability to give some thought on a subject and get the best out of it through different ideas (a paint blotch on my clean paper, can be made into?)
      • EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING – is the process of absorbing knowledge and understanding of an idea, undergoing a series of learning processes that focuses on achieving mastery of a subject – understanding a topic, remembering through an experience and reflecting by applying it in a certain situation (learning how to use scissors and what to use it with?)
      • NOVEL PROBLEM SOLVING – Another idea pushed by a noted psychologist, Robert Weisberg, suggests that expertise and knowledge based on past experience are the foundation on which creators build. In other words, learning about the past and implementing it in current problems and situations which were previously thought to be unrelated. (learning that socks can be made into puppets, but making it into a doll’s dress instead)
  • Steps On Developing Your Family's Artistic Skills
    • ​Preparing an Activity Time and Set-up Area - Choose a space in your home where brainstorming and experiments can be done. It should be a safe space that each member of the family can freely discover, try out and spend time in without judgement or limitation while also putting an emphasis on empathy and common understanding of other members of the family. Size may vary depending on your family's living space and this area can move anywhere in your home (or outside your living space) from time to time. As long as it's a space that invites imagination and inspiration. 

    • Schedule a Creativity Time for Everyone - There should be a time where you can do things together. For families with babies and toddlers, this is a great time to let them mimic good habits, and work on enriching activities together. For older kids, this is a great opportunity to imbibe good values, incorporate heart to heart talks and share instructions to help them master different problem solving skills, learn new techniques and ideas, and or be able to experience learning how to use new materials and tools.
      On the other hand, consistently give them time to do things by themselves as well, like unstructured playtime, reading a book by themselves, making their own projects, drawing by themselves, practice singing a song, etc. This will encourage our kids’ brains to automatically exercise creative thinking and will eventually become a habit that will greatly benefit your child.
      For both schedules, consistency is the key.

    • Utilizing Different Kinds of Art Materials - One great tool in making your CREATIVITY AREA interesting and inviting, is to make available different types of materials. In Visual Arts, try to stock up on the usual WET and DRY art materials, plus other few extras - like toilet paper rolls, milk cartons, plastic bottles, bottle caps in different colors, old compact discs, old magazines, gift ribbons, shoe boxes, popsicle sticks, plastic forks and spoons are very useful craft materials that give one’s brains endless ideas and possible projects. You can also add natural items like sticks, interesting stones, leaves or flowers from outside in your park or garden. 

    • Display Your Family's Artistic Projects - Whether it be a certificate, diploma, a finished art project or trophy, it’s important to have an area which every member of your family (even the littlest ones) can look at and admire, talk about and remember. It would also be best to combine it with photos of memorable family events and activities to help you all look at that area with pride and fondness. And most of all, help inspire each other member of the family to strive for another excellent endeavor that everyone in the family will also be proud of.
  • Conclusion: Take-Away notes
    • ​Who needs to exercise creative development? Is it just for kids?
      • Everyone in the family -  organizing a time when all members of the family are allowed to stimulate their minds and create memories. This will help each of you exercise your minds and give opportunities to cherish each other and fondly remember family moments together.
    • How do we exercise creative development in our own homes?
      • For everyone in the family, a consistent schedule for doing creative activities (together or independently) is a great way to help the kids become more aware and responsible for his/her own development and alone time for each adult in the family will also be a great recharge from the stresses of online work, household chores and other responsibilities.
    • What LIFE SKILLS does one develop through CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT?
      • Plenty, but three main things we focused on are NOVEL PROBLEM SOLVING, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING and learning to THINK OUT OF THE BOX.

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