Many parents and caregivers wonder how to encourage their children to develop their creative side. While children may enjoy activities such as painting, designing, or decorating, when it comes to writing, they often struggle to express themselves. This blog post will discuss how technology is helping to change this, and how you can help your kids develop their creative side through play.
The Power of Play
Throughout history, play has been recognized as a vital part of growing up. As children play and explore their world, they develop their physical, social, and mental skills. When it comes to encouraging your kids’ creative side, play is key. It allows them to exercise their imagination and develop their skills – both necessary for writing and storytelling.
Today, play is more important than ever. With screens occupying more and more of our children’s time, there is less opportunity for them to get some unplugged and physically active. While screens can be entertaining and engaging, they can also be a distraction. In fact, a 2015 study from Northwestern University revealed that children who played on tablets spent 13% more time on those devices than children who played on normal PCs or laptops. This may in part be because tablets don’t require as much physical interaction as a keyboard or a mouse.
This physical activity promotes healthy development and can even boost cognitive function. Therefore, it is important that children get sufficient physical activity every day, which means they need to play outside. However, to encourage their creative side, it is important that parents and caregivers support their kids’ play time as much as possible.
Make Storytelling a Family Affair
Another big issue that parents have with their children is boredom. A lot of time can go by when children are content playing on their phones or tablets, so it’s important that they find activities that will keep them engaged. One way that children develop social skills is through storytelling. If you want to encourage your children’s creative side, let them take part in family storytelling sessions. This can help build trust and create a safe environment where kids can explore new topics and feelings. There are lots of apps and games that can be used for this purpose. For example, the Kodable Storybook is a smartphone app that allows users to create simple books and share them with the world. The books can be made up of images, audio, and text, and can be designed to look like a real book. When users browse through the app’s bookshelves, they see books that other people have created and shared. This element of discovery encourages users to explore the app’s library and increase their reading skills.
Make the Transition From Screen-To-Pencil Painless
One of the things that can hold back a child’s creative side is the transition from using a screen to using a pencil. Many children struggle with this transition, as they often have to stop playing on screens and switch to using a physical item to express themselves. To make this transition feel less natural, some children may need extra help. If possible, parents can encourage this transition by purchasing a desk or area near the couch where the child can put down their mobile device and pick up a pencil or a notebook. This will help create a more authentic writing experience and allow children to develop their skills faster.
Give Smartphones Short Birthdays
It’s no secret that children love their smartphones. In fact, a study from BrightFutures found that British children spend almost five hours of their day on their phones, and almost three hours of that is spent on games. While this may be a fun pastime for children, it’s important that they use their time in a responsible manner and get enough sleep. This is why in many countries, including the U.S., smartphones are considered to be a part of growing up and not a toy. If you want to encourage your children’s creative side, give them new phones every six months or so to keep their attention and prevent them from becoming overly attached to screens. This also has the added bonus of making your children more social – something every parent wants!
Make Use of Online Resources
There are plenty of resources available online that you can use to encourage your children’s creative side. Some of these resources can be accessed free of charge, while others can be subscribed to. If possible, it’s important that you use these resources so that your children develop the habit of researching topics and ideas rather than just playing on screens. For example, the National Geographic Kids magazine offers compelling articles for primary school-aged kids. Some of these articles are written in an interesting, interactive form, which encourages readers to read a few paragraphs and then answer questions. This is a great way for kids to develop their critical thinking skills, as they have to analyze information and draw conclusions.
Encourage Your Children to Use Their Heads
It’s important that children develop their logic and reasoning skills, which means they need to be able to think through problems and come up with solutions. This can be difficult, as they often don’t have the experience yet, so they can make mistakes. In these cases, it’s important that they learn from their mistakes and devise ways to improve. One way that children develop this skill is by coming up with fake solutions to problems. If possible, it’s important that parents and caregivers play this part and make mistakes with the children so that they can learn better. For example, if your child believes that the best way to fix a broken vase is to get a new one, you might say that this is not the case and that they should learn from the mistakes they’ve made. This is a way of teaching children that mistakes can be beneficial, as they can guide you towards a better solution. Forcing a child to play it safe by using the wrong tool or method can also teach them to be wary of their instincts and to consider alternatives.
Start Small
If you’re looking to encourage your children’s creative side and want to see improvements quickly, it’s important to start small. Studies have shown that children who played anagrams (anagrams are word puzzles where users have to combine two words, or letters, to make a new word) for 15 minutes a day increased their vocabulary and spelling scores by eight words a day on average. This suggests that children who play anagrams will experience an instant improvement in their spelling and vocabulary abilities. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to purchase a word processor or take out a loan to get a home computer. It just means that you can get a smartphone and play word games or find apps for that purpose. Even something as simple as a notebook and a pencil will help, as this is what most children start out writing with and then move to a computer or mobile phone when they get older.
This blog post has discussed how technology is helping to change the way children play and how you can help your children develop their creative side through play. From encouraging them to write down their thoughts and ideas to giving them new phones every few months, these simple tips can help.