Activities to develop creativity in children

The activities to develop creativity help children to enhance their ability to walk new paths, find different solutions and adopt new points of view. 

Creativity can be stimulated from their early years, in fact, during this stage it is advisable to teach them to think creatively both at school and in their daily lives. At Newton College we know how important creativity is for their personal development, that is why we stimulate our students on a daily basis, through activities specially oriented to reinforce their abilities. 

 

The importance of promoting creativity in children

 

Creativity is very important for children to start thinking for themselves. Interpreting the world around them and providing appropriate solutions in every circumstance begins with developed creative thinking. 

All the situations in which they must develop in their daily lives will require creative responses, from their interpersonal relationships with other children, to the emotional responses required by the family environment. If they learn to act on the basis of creative behaviors, they will be able to express their thoughts and emotions in a healthier way and will be more protected against the frustration that changes sometimes produce. 

 

Activities to develop creativity

 

As with other skills, creativity can be fostered both in the school environment and in the family environment. The following are some activities focused on stimulating creativity in children.  

 

Let ‘s paint!

 

One of the activities in which a child can really unleash all their abilities is painting. They love to paint, because the blank paper offers them total freedom to express their ideas.

As for the impact of painting on creativity, it is a process in which the child is constantly making decisions, translating abstract ideas into reality, which is a stimulus for their creative abilities. 

 

Word games

 

One of the most important creative sources comes from language. The simple daily use of language is an activity that requires a constant creative effort, so word games will be a reinforcement for their creative capacity.

From chain word games, in which we must say a word that begins with the same letter that ends the previous word, to word games, any activity related to language will stimulate their creativity. 

 

Creating stories

 

Like painting, creating stories is a chance to put abstract ideas into words, using creativity. Group story games, in which several people imagine the same story, are a perfect activity for children.

There are also games in which the child is given part of a story and must imagine how it continues based on his or her own ideas.  

 

Puzzles

 

Puzzles are activities that require creative strategy. Although the pieces fit together in a certain way, the composition of puzzles is a stimulus for their imagination and creativity, because the child is going to make decisions continuously, until the activity is completed. 

The puzzles are much more than a pastime, it is an activity that we can share with them and that will stimulate their creative abilities. 

 

Listening to music

 

There are many studies that have analyzed the impact of music on children, and all of them establish a relationship between music and creativity. It is not necessary for a child to become a virtuoso musician to take advantage of the benefits of music, it is enough to listen to all kinds of songs on a regular basis, so that their abilities are enhanced. 

 

Playing video games

 

Video games have gone from being a pastime that, on many occasions, we perceive as something negative, to being a perfect way for them to develop their creativity.

Unlike many analogical activities, video games not only offer a valid option, but also pose a challenge that can be solved in different ways, encouraging lateral thinking.  

 

Free play with other children

 

Sometimes we forget that children are capable enough to imagine other worlds in the company of children their own age. Games with other children in which they have to use their creativity to enjoy and reach agreements are the best way for them to improve their ability, to create through play and collaboration with other children. 

 

The advantages of lateral thinking in children

 

The concept of lateral thinking is closely associated with creative abilities and begins to develop during their early years.    

What we know as lateral thinking is an ability to solve problems in a creative way. Many of the circumstances that we face in our daily lives require unconventional answers or, at least, answers that are not given beforehand, through lateral thinking we are able to offer appropriate solutions, which are not the usual ones but are equally effective. 

Activities to develop creativity in young children also help to improve their lateral thinking, generating a series of logical structures with which they are able to generate ideas and solutions that sometimes surprise us. 

Creativity and logical thinking are two closely related concepts, laterality when making decisions is a tool that will be very useful in their adult life and that we can stimulate from an early age. 

 

Creative activities at Newton College

 

At Newton College we know how important values related to creativity are for their future, that is why our educational programs always include creative activities, with which our students learn to make their own decisions by putting them into practice.

Creative processes are present throughout the entire educational period, leaving students free to discover their own potential.