Fostering Creativity
Photo credit: Dragos Gontariu (Unsplash)
One of the most rewarding things that I find in my work with children is observing their creativity. They are so imaginative in their art, music, worldview, story-telling, and problem-solving—it never ceases to amaze me! Children have a lens that’s unadulterated by the filters and parameters that we learn from society as we age; it’s pure and beautiful. If only we adults could tap into that place and time in our minds where we weren’t so engulfed by some of society’s constraints!
I often see adults underestimate children—thinking that they don’t understand, that they’re not listening, that their art isn’t beautiful or special just because it doesn’t look '“realistic” or “good” enough. Additionally, people often underestimate children emotionally; adults mistake the lack of language to articulate certain feelings as a lack of feeling them. That simply isn’t true, children experience the same range of complex emotions including happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. Their tantrums, hang-ups, and exaggerated worries are a result of not having enough practice with emotion regulation, not a narrower spectrum of emotions themselves.
Kids do understand the tone, body language, and some of the words in situations where the words being spoken might be exceedingly complex and above their comprehension level; they can multitask and be listening attentively while playing on the floor, seemingly inattentive to your conversation; and they create things that represent their feelings and experiences, even when their fine motor skills and artistic abilities aren’t perfectly honed. By ignoring children’s awareness in complicated situations, we miss an opportunity to grow their understanding as well as close ourselves off to their perspectives, which may have a wealth of value. We do a disservice to ourselves as well as the children we encounter when we discount all of their raw, fantastic brain-power.
Magic can happen when we can escape the paradigm of “I’m older so I know better” and open our ears and minds to what kids conceptualize and create. We should approach their ideas with genuine curiosity. We can make an active step in ensuring a better future when we invest in bolstering creativity and teaching children to have a voice.
We could benefit from some reflection on our own feelings from childhood. Remembering special times where we had our own creative flourishes and wild ideas can help us connect with the children we encounter in our adult lives. It can be a freeing experience to take a break from being so bogged down by adult expectations that make us forget what it was like to be so unencumbered and innocent.
There’s a great article about healing “art scars” and having a growth mindset from Berkley College, for those interested in further reading. The article cites the great Brene Brown, and if you don’t know of her work, you should. The article goes into greater depth on creativity and teachable moments too.
Children indeed have a lot to teach us in so many ways. The carefree aspects of their perspectives and emotional instincts can be of great value to many adult situations; it’s worth listening to them. And its even more important to continually encourage them—to never extinguish the flame of their creative passion. We all have an inner child who laughs with abandon and can be silly without inhibition, and I think it would do some grown-ups a world of good to let loose and call that inner child out to play a bit more often.
