by Glenda Propst
There is a difference between being creativity with kids and what the final outcome of a project might be.
When teaching children about being creative, we have to remember that for children, creativity is about the journey, not the destination. We have to be careful to allow them the freedom to enjoy the experience while they are creating.
Even the cutest, most organized and simple project can turn out to be a disaster if we don’t plan ahead, make sure we have everything we need before we start, or even if something unexpected happens like a phone call or someone at the door. And sometimes even with perfect plans, children have their own idea of what they want something to be or how they want to do something and that is perfectly fine too. The goal is to enjoy the experience and allow the child to create at their own pace.
It’s also important for us to remember the age of the child that we are working with and be sure that our activity is age appropriate. Most importantly we need to remember that no matter how much we planned or how hard we worked to get the project ready, sometimes children are just not interested. I have been wanting to write a post about this topic for awhile now and the other day I was on the wonderful blog “I CAN TEACH MY CHILD” and I saw the perfect example. Her project didn’t go according to plan but her reaction made all the difference, and I applaud her for her honesty and fact that she posted the real story.
You can read it here: The Alphabet Train Game and while you are there, check out her great ideas for learning through play.