What is the creative development of a child. Creative thinking: features Imagination comes in different forms

Creativity is the ability of an individual to think outside the box. Make decisions, create something new and generate a lot of ideas.

Interestingly, the presence or absence of high intellectual abilities does not mean that a person is creative. The development of creative thinking occurs most effectively in childhood and adolescence.

Creativity is the ability to create something fundamentally new, deviating from traditional patterns and established systems of thinking. Such a person is able to solve a problem in a completely new way: by adding just one original detail or by completely changing the concept of decision-making.

Creativity: what is it?

The concept is based on the English verb create, which in translation means “to create.” And creative means creating, being creative.

A person with creative, non-standard abilities knows how to create and isolate something new from familiar and established things.

Definition in psychology:

creating something new from the familiar;
solving a problem in unusual ways;
rejection of stereotypes;
originality and flexibility of thinking;
unusual analysis and synthesis;
intuitive choice of the only correct solution;
generating a huge mass of ideas.

Grade

It has been found that creativity directly depends on a person's ability to apply information initially given to solve a problem in different ways, and at a fairly fast pace.

The first study of this concept was started separately from the intellectual abilities of the individual, and was more related to creativity.

At the moment, the assessment and study of creativity is carried out in two independent directions:

Connection with intelligence.
Connection with personality.

J. Guilford was the first to give his assessment, identifying 16 intellectual characteristics that characterize the ability to think outside the box according to the following criteria:

speed of thought processes (number of ideas that appear in a given unit of time);
flexibility of thinking (switching from one problem or idea to another);
originality (the ability to create something new without using stereotypes);
curiosity (awareness of problems in the surrounding world);
the ability to develop hypotheses, etc.

But when studying intelligence abilities using classical tests, and the concept of creativity, which was also assessed in the form of testing, scientists came to conflicting conclusions. It was not possible to obtain a clear answer to the question of whether the level of intelligence and the ability to create are related to each other.

Diagnostics carried out by scientists and psychologists at different times give reason to assert that the formation of creative abilities is also influenced by the following factors:

environment (society, surroundings, parents, level of income, etc.);
personal characteristics (character, psychological aspects, etc.);
presence of talent (for a certain type of creativity).

At the moment, such abilities are assessed using E.P. Torrance tests, but psychologists agree that it is impossible to measure them using tests alone.

Some experts are confident that the measurement of abilities should be carried out using an analysis of the acts of creativity of each individual person, and not just psychology.

Development of creative abilities

It should be divided into 2 phases:

Development of creativity as the creative ability of an individual. The development time is 3-5 years, when children’s imitation of an adult with similar qualities is the determining mechanism for the formation of creativity.
Development and consolidation of skills“specialized creativity” aged 13 to 20 years. It is defined as the presence of talent and its further development in a certain field of activity.

The second phase ends either with a denial of imitation and a transition to one’s own original creativity, or with a delay in imitation for the rest of one’s life.
The development of creativity, along with intelligence, largely depends on environmental factors, which are decisive.

Intellectuals and creators are not born. Initially, a child may only have abilities or inclinations for one or another type of creativity.

And if the environment (parents, teachers) allows the talent to reveal itself, then the child can subsequently become an extraordinary person.

However, communication with people of low intelligence leads to the exact opposite result. Just like being in an environment that is not conducive to the development of creativity.

Methods of raising children

How to develop creativity in children? Creativity, like other skills, is best developed through play. The child should be interested in the process itself, and not the end result.

What should be considered when organizing training in children's groups:

Creating an atmosphere. The teacher should be friendly and open. The wrong attitude, denial, impatience, criticism (even deserved) can destroy the first shoots of emerging talent;
Understanding the student's needs. If a child cannot instantly switch from one task to another, this does not mean that he lacks the inclination to develop creative abilities. Such children need more time, their neuropsychic processes proceed more slowly. It is worth using methods for developing creativity aimed at accelerating mental reactions;
Interesting activities. The child should be interested during classes. This could be introducing elements of novelty into ordinary games, unfamiliar emotional experiences, etc.;
Patience. Don't expect instant results. They will definitely happen, but not right away. Excessive acceleration of events will ultimately lead to a stop in the development of creative abilities;
Personal example. A teacher conducting classes with children must have a creative mindset.

Exercises

There are the following types of exercises to develop creative and intellectual abilities:

Science fiction writer. Take any dictionary or book and randomly choose two different words or phrases. Then try to think of a relationship between them, perhaps by combining them into a funny story. An excellent exercise for developing thinking;
Mad Artist. All you need is a blank sheet of paper and markers or pencils. Now try to depict an animal that does not yet exist in nature. Don't forget to come up with a name for your creation;
Crazy architect. Now your task is to depict a house of the most unusual design. Imagine that, for example, everything in it should be of different geometric shapes: the roof is round, the windows are triangular, etc. Now imagine what it will all look like in reality;
Original naming. Try to give each familiar object a new name. For example, an orange is citrus, a window is a window, etc.;
New solution. When communicating with friends and colleagues, try to constantly come up with something new. For example, when discussing plans for the weekend, put forward all the ideas that come to your mind, even the most unrealistic ones;
Monologue alone. When you are alone with yourself, think about a problem. Then answer these questions: What do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel? What do my thoughts mean?

There are still a huge number of exercises and trainings for developing creative abilities. Whatever techniques you choose, the main thing is that they force your thinking to work contrary to stereotypes and generally accepted opinion.

Video: Creative class in Russia

Children are natural innovators with powerful imaginations. And creativity offers many intellectual, emotional, and even health benefits. In this article we offer 9 ways to develop creativity and creative thinking in a child.

One study found that children's imagination helped them cope better with pain. Creativity also helps children be more confident, develop social skills and learn better. Below, three experts share how parents can properly nurture their children's creativity.

1. Create an atmosphere for creativity

Pam Allyn, author of many books, including Your Child's Writing Life: How to Build Creativity, Creative Thinking, and Mastery at Any Age, is all about creating a space where your child can be creative. But that doesn't mean you have to have a fancy game room. This could be a tiny corner with a bag of Legos or a box of old clothes for playing dress-up, she said. Allyn has seen creativity flourish in the tightest of spaces. The key, she says, is for your child to feel like they have control over their space.

2. Keep it simple

Just as you don't need to create a detailed play area, you don't need the latest and greatest toys. Child pedagogue psychologist Charlotte Resnik suggested conducting simple games and activities. For example, she plays Lego with her child clients. But instead of following instructions, children let the wheels of their imagination spin and build what they want.

3. Leave “free time”

Giving your child free time is also important, Allyn said. Spend a few hours at home without scheduled activities. So your baby can just romp around and play, she said.

4. Help children activate their senses

How to develop creativity and creative thinking in a child? To do this, it is first important to open them. Lauren Resnick, author of The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Turn Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success, advises introducing children to the world. This is important so that they can use all their senses. Again, this does not mean expensive or complicated, long trips. Take them to the library, museum and outside, she said. Ask them to imagine what traveling to distant places might be like, Resnick said. What animals will they encounter? What will the surrounding nature look like? What smell would you smell? What sounds will the animals make?

5. Discuss creativity

Ask your kids when they have their best ideas or their most creative moments, Allyn said. If your child is in the car during soccer practice, read to them while keeping your laptop, iPad or even a tape recorder handy, she said.

6. Develop creative critical thinking

As your children get older, ask them how they approach certain problems. And how they can do things differently, Resnick said. "Have your kids brainstorm their ideas on paper or use mapping," she said.

7. Avoid management

Children have an amazing innate ability to be creative when they play on their own. And, unfortunately, over-education weakens or even destroys this innate ability.” Transform your neighborhood into a place to play. So it's important to figure out how to encourage your child's creativity without controlling it.

Children learn a lot by playing on their own. After all, babies are born experimental scientists, taking scrolls of information, trying things out on their own and changing them as they go. By being more self-possessed, children can understand how to solve problems and create their own unique, creative ways of solving various problems.

8. Help kids develop their passions

It doesn't matter what age your child is. You probably have a great idea of his interests. Perhaps your child prefers crafts or science experiments. He may like to play an instrument or play sports.

These hobbies may change over time. But even temporary hobbies have a significant impact on the development of children. Pay attention to your child's interests and make these materials and activities accessible to them. Try to purchase the necessary equipment or tools. If this is not possible. Don't forget that you can always rent something. Or purchase it from other owners.

9. Take time to be creative.

Since children learn by watching their parents, be creative. Join your child as they draw, build, or color. One little girl wanted her parents to help her build an artistic jungle in the living room. At first my mother was hesitant. But it was a great opportunity for the family to bond and everyone had fun.

Tips for helping your child find a hobby

Be sure to motivate your child to achieve their goals. And the guys will help you with this.

Make a list of your child's interests. Discuss your child's current interests and make a list. This will help you find ways to expand those interests through relevant hobbies.
Introduce your child to new sensations regularly. Exploring new things is the best way to gain life experiences and discover interests your child never knew about. Be creative when you help your child try to explore new sensations. Go on field trips to different subjects, introduce books to different subjects, and try a variety of fun crafts, experiments, and other activities at home.
Hobby test before committing. Even if you identify a hobby that seems ideal for your child, start slow. There is no guarantee that a particular hobby will be suitable for your child. Let him or her try it for a couple of weeks before you make more commitments.
Give your child the freedom to explore hobbies. This means making sure your child has plenty of room for hobbies and that he or she devotes time to them every week.
Help your child learn and develop. Depending on your hobby, your child may not be able to continue doing it without your guidance. If he or she is unsure what to do next, work together to brainstorm ideas. If your child already knows what to do next, offer your support.
Know when to let your child move on. Some hobbies continue into adulthood, while others won't last long at all, even if your child enjoys them. Younger children often outgrow hobbies they establish early. When your child is ready to quit, don't force him or her to continue. Just be willing to help him or her find something new.

The first years of a child’s life are the most important and valuable for his future, since the skills and knowledge that a person acquires in childhood serve as the basis for his entire subsequent life. Therefore, modern parents strive to make the most of the opportunities of this period and pay more and more attention to the early development of children. Moreover, we are talking not only about intellectual and physical, but also about creative abilities. Teacher and early development expert Svetlana Degtyareva will talk about how to develop creativity in preschool children.

What is creativity and why is it so important?

In the Russian language, the word “creativity” appeared not so long ago, and it is used mainly in relation to new ideas and unexpected solutions. In a broad sense, a creative approach is the ability to see ordinary things from an unexpected angle and find an original solution to a typical problem. There is an opinion that creativity is a natural ability, initially inherent in every person, but as we grow older, it is gradually lost under the influence of educational and training programs. So if you want your children to grow up capable of unexpected and innovative solutions, you should start doing this from preschool age.

Any inclinations need to be developed, and this applies not least to creativity. Any creative inclinations, any natural craving for creativity, requires special activities that will stimulate the child to create something new and help him in the future to more fully use his potential.

Some people mistakenly understand that the development of children’s creative abilities is only active participation in various types of art - drawing, music, dancing. In fact, this direction is much broader, and various sections and circles are an important, but far from the only part of it.

Experts in the field of preschool education emphasize the importance of parental participation in nurturing creativity in children. One of the most important conditions necessary to achieve the desired result depends on the family - creating an atmosphere favorable for creativity. In addition, of all adults, it is with the parents that the child has the strongest emotional connection. The baby loves mom and dad, enjoys spending time with them and gets a huge amount of positive impressions from this. This means that with the right approach, classes with parents will be more productive.

Another important point is that, unlike group classes, the adult’s attention is focused on one child, and is not divided between several children. And finally, if both parents are involved in the process, the child will have a more varied creative experience. This is because moms and dads tend to take different approaches and methods, causing classes to cover a wider range of exercises.

Imagination is different

Creativity is based on fantasy and imagination. If we turn to terminology, imagination is usually understood as the ability to imagine an object, hold its image in consciousness and manipulate it.

Depending on the situation, this ability can manifest itself with varying degrees of intensity. The simplest and most common form of imagination is dreams. When we sleep, we do not control the images that arise, we cannot control them, and we perceive them regardless of our desire, taking a passive observer position. The more active phase manifests itself in dreams, in which we form certain pictures that seem pleasant or desirable to us. The next stage is the recreating imagination, which “turns on”, for example, when reading books. Based on the description of the hero, sometimes quite sketchy, we imagine his image, and later apply it to the events described in the work. And finally, the peak form of imagination is the creative process, that is, the creation of absolutely original images and ideas that did not exist before.

It must be borne in mind that imagination is largely based on life experience, therefore, the older we get, the more material and tools our imagination gets at its disposal, and therefore its potential increases. Where then did the belief come from that children have a more developed imagination, you ask? It's simple - a child more easily accepts imaginary distortions of reality (therefore, in particular, it is easier for him to believe in fairy tales and empathize with their heroes), and in addition, he has more reasons to use his imagination. Adults, having a huge stock of familiar images and knowing how to combine them, generally prefer to use already proven ready-made solutions for typical problems.

Let's train our imagination

A game for a child is an opportunity to learn new things. It is in the exciting form of play that children become acquainted with the world: the first educational toys help babies develop their sense of touch, vision and hearing, then they learn to crawl and walk with the help of more mobile toys, and then move on to role-playing games that contribute to the development of social skills and imagination. Formed in the process of play, imagination penetrates into other areas of life, primarily into creativity.

The best age for the development of non-standard, creative thinking will be the period during which the imagination is formed - that is, from three to seven years. At this time, children learn to use and control their imagination. This can be seen even in the way the child plays. For example, children often use real objects in games to replace certain imaginary things and objects: for example, a mop can become a fleet-footed horse, a felt-tip pen can become a magic wand, and an empty cardboard box can become a spaceship. At the same time, children 3-4 years old need the replacement object to be similar to the one being replaced, but for older children this similarity can be quite conditional. Gradually, the need for the object itself fades away, and the child learns to manipulate an imaginary image without any “outside” reinforcement.

Another change that occurs during the process of growing up is the control of fantasy. The older a child gets, the more actively he learns to use his imagination. Thus, younger preschoolers do not set themselves the goal of inventing something, and their imagination manifests itself spontaneously. But older children can already create images purposefully. This is also manifested in creativity: when drawing or modeling from plasticine, kids begin work without yet having an image of a finished picture or figure in their heads and come up with details “on the fly.” As they grow older, they begin to plan in advance what exactly they want to sculpt or draw, and select the materials and colors necessary to implement this idea.

We need different games

Educational toys can be a good help to stimulate the imagination. For example, construction sets develop spatial thinking, puzzles develop logic, and creativity kits develop aesthetic taste.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the sets for playing “to the store”, “to tea party”, “to school” and so on. Such toys help train social skills, as children learn to communicate with each other, negotiate and resolve disputes peacefully, and also serve as excellent imagination training. Children simulate a game situation, come up with a plot for the game, decide what a character should do in this or that case... By inventing and distributing roles in the game, children learn to keep a certain image in mind and manipulate it for a long time.

All answers are correct

In order to stimulate a child’s imagination, it is enough to introduce elements of developmental learning into the game. For example, when a child builds a house out of blocks, you can ask who could live in it. You can also invite your child to fantasize about a situation and, using leading questions, help him come up with a story.

Logic tasks will also be useful - ask your child to explain what some objects have in common, or to come up with as many ways as possible to use a simple object (pencil, cup, piece of paper).

There are many ready-made tasks that you can use to train your child’s imagination, but this does not stop you from coming up with your own - after all, you, like no one else, know what will be interesting to your child.

The main thing is to remember a number of rules:

Do not criticize your child’s successes: there are no wrong answers here and any idea that your imagination suggests is valuable;
Let your child find the solution himself. If necessary, you can gently help him, for example, ask leading questions, but avoid hints and ready-made answers;
At the first sign of boredom, it is better to switch to another game. The activities should be interesting, and if the child begins to get distracted, it is worth ending the game. You can promise that you will continue it later, then the child will have additional interest, and he will be happy to join the game next time;
The child should have the opportunity to choose the type of activity. There is no need to force him to solve logic puzzles if he wants to draw;
Encourage curiosity: independently searching for answers to questions helps develop imagination.

For all parents, their children will always be the best, because each child is unique and talented in their own way. Do not take professional recommendations on the development of creativity as a guide to action and focus primarily on the interests and character of your child. In any case, in such activities it is not so much the result that is important, but the time spent together.

Tatyana Sutorma, consultant: Svetlana Degtyareva, teacher, early development expert at ELC - Early Development Center
magazine for parents “Raising a Child”, March 2014

Creative is a person who not only moves in the same flow with the crowd, but can see something interesting in ordinary things and knows how to come up with something new. If you need a short definition of creativity, it is the ability to think outside the box and generate new ideas. Creativity is inherent in every person, and it manifests itself especially clearly in childhood and adolescence. But gradually a person begins to think more narrowly, stereotyped, suppresses his creativity, so it is difficult for him to create something new and unique. How to develop creativity? “Easy and Useful” will tell you.

Components of Creativity

The concept of “developing creativity” is too vague and incomprehensible. If we want to build muscle, we go to the gym and work on certain muscles. If we want to learn a language, we learn new words, make sentences from them, etc. What exactly do you need to work on to develop creativity?

Its main component is imagination, so first of all you need to work on it. But other creative abilities are also important:

The ability to generate a huge number of ideas in a short time: this way there is a greater chance of coming up with something that will really be useful.

Original and flexible thinking without standard templates, thanks to which something new, non-standard is born, and a person can quickly switch from one to another.

To generate a new idea, you need to be open to new information, expand your knowledge, since often your experience is not enough, or your brain produces standard solutions to the problem.

Receptivity is also important. This is the ability to find the simple in the complex, unusual things in the ordinary, consider all the details, identify contradictions, and so on.

A creative person must be able to think in integral images, as well as be able to generalize and build a single whole from different knowledge and ideas. But at the same time, he is able to detail the problem, break it into parts in order to understand its essence.

Creativity in children

We've sorted out the theory, now it's time to move on to practice. To develop creativity and creative abilities, you can and should perform various exercises. It’s good if a child grew up in a creative environment and, from the age of 3, imitated adults who had these qualities well developed.

How to develop creativity in children and adults

Over time, they should also manifest themselves and take hold; sooner or later, talent in one area or another should be discovered. Gradually, the child will stop imitating his teacher and move on to independent creativity. But some people remain imitators all their lives.

How to develop

Developing creativity in children is not only about communicating with people with innovative thinking. You can purposefully work on these qualities. Like most skills at this age, it is learned through play. The child should be interested, should like the process itself, that is, in this case, the main thing is not the result, but the activity itself.

How to develop creativity in children and adults

It is important to create a special atmosphere, to be friendly and open. You should not criticize a child, even if you think that the criticism is deserved, or be impatient, since in this way you will destroy the first shoots of his emerging talent. Also, you don’t need to tune in to instant results: they may not appear immediately. If you send your child to any club or development center, choose a teacher carefully. Only a teacher who himself has a creative mindset can develop creative thinking in children.

Exercises

There are exercises to develop children's creativity. By the way, this is a good way to have fun with your family or entertain the kids during a family holiday.

Let's make up a funny story. Take any book (preferably a dictionary) and choose any 2 words in it that are absolutely unrelated to each other. You need to come up with some kind of funny story that would unite them, so that there is a relationship between these different words. Gradually the number of words can be increased.

We invent new words. We know almost from the cradle that a table is a table, and, let’s say, a cat is a cat. Let the child try to come up with new, unusual names for familiar objects. What else can you call a pillow? Maybe a soft-spitter?

Let's draw an unusual animal. This is a simple exercise. Give your child a blank sheet of paper, as well as markers and maybe pencils.

How to develop creativity in children and adults

Let him come up with an animal that does not exist, and at the same time a name for it.

We're inventing a house. What kind of houses do we usually build? A rectangle, against which there are many other rectangles - windows. Set a task for your child - to come up with and draw an unusual house, for example, triangular, with a round roof, and so on.

These exercises will help develop creativity in your child. However, an adult can also work on himself.

Creativity in adults

If you want to develop creative thinking in adults, it is important to create a suitable psychological mood. A person who feels like a failure cannot be a generator of ideas.

Fighting fears

The creativity in a person can be ruined by self-doubt, fears and doubts. Therefore, it is necessary to learn to control your fears, uncertainty, and remove this negative attitude towards what is happening. How to deal with this? First of all, admit that you have these feelings. And then try to replace them with positive thoughts. An exercise called “Tick-tock” helps a lot. The principle of operation is the same - track your fears, and then replace them with positive thoughts, but do this not in your head, but in a notebook, that is, write everything down. Divide the sheet into 2 parts. Sign “tick” over the first one, “tak” over the second one. In the first you need to write down your fears, in the second - ways to combat them, positive thoughts. For example, you wrote under “tick” that you will never be able to do something. Now all that remains is to find a solution to the problem: act gradually, step by step, drawing up a detailed plan. The main thing is to start. And so we describe every fear. Gradually, you will notice that all your negative thoughts have begun to be replaced by positive ones. But to do this you will have to do this exercise many times.

How to develop creativity in children and adults

Try to remember your successes as often as possible, you can even write down all the times when you achieved success. This will help you gain self-confidence and achieve more. You also need to convince yourself that you are a creative person. People often think and feel the way they imagine themselves, or the way their environment thinks of them. Therefore, it is important to feel like creative people. To do this, you need to write a short story about how you are a creative person. And also come up with and write down several statements, not only from the first, but also from the second and third person, for example, “Elena, you are a creative person” or “I am endowed with the gift of creativity.”

Developing creativity

When your fears are gone, you can begin training that will help develop creativity. Try to train yourself to have “double vision”, which will help you see what many do not notice. Learn to look at the world carefully: any tree or unusual structure can give you the right idea. Try to monitor your thoughts, write down everything that comes to your mind. If you come up with an idea, immediately write everything down on paper. Organize your “data bank”, store these ideas either in a special box or in a desk drawer.

How to develop creativity in children and adults

Often the flight of fancy is hampered by the fact that we all live, obeying some kind of habit. Everything for us is “laid out on shelves”, that’s why we think narrowly. To somehow cope with this problem, you need to make a list of your habits and gradually change some of them.

A.I. Buchkova, child psychologist,Candidate of Sociological Sciences,Moscow

Today, there are often calls for the development of creativity from childhood. Almost all development centers and kindergartens pay special attention to the formation of this ability and offer a variety of programs for children from an early age. At the same time, it is a common opinion that creativity will allow one to find a worthy place in almost any business in the future. And what parent doesn’t want his children to become successful and in demand? Let's try to figure out what creativity is and what benefits its development can give a child. And also: at what age and how is it best to improve it?

Attention to this ability in Russia has grown significantly since the 90s, when they first started talking about the need for its development already in preschool age.

Creativity is inextricably linked with creativity. However, these concepts should not be used as synonyms. According to the American psychologist J. Guilford, creator of the model of the structure of intelligence, creativity is a set of abilities that contribute to successful creative thinking. Accordingly, its development requires a sufficient level of not only imagination, but also logical thinking, attention, and speech. At the present stage, it has been proven that creativity helps to find non-standard, creative solutions to any problems. And we are talking not only about professional activity, but also about life in general: stimulating the development of abilities will open up prospects for the child to successfully overcome difficulties in various areas. He will perceive any life problem or turmoil as just another task that needs to be solved, and will be able to analyze its conditions and find the optimal resources to achieve the best result. That is, the benefits of developing creativity are much broader than success in the chosen profession, but the main thing is to promptly and correctly orient your child in the right direction. After all, such abilities, although inherent to all of us from birth, may not develop due to the influence of stereotypes and parenting styles. To prevent this from happening, it is not enough to send your child to classes to develop creativity. You will need to change yourself, tune in to the creative wave and transform together with your baby.

Physiological basis of creativity

Since it is directly related to the creative orientation of the individual, the physiological foundations of this kind of activity are concentrated in the cerebral cortex. The success of complex mental operations, which, undoubtedly, are actions within the framework of creative thinking, is associated with the development of the frontal lobes of the brain. However, the entire cortex takes part in the thinking process. Accordingly, the development of creativity begins from the moment of birth and occurs throughout the entire period of childhood. The maximum manifestation of fantasy occurs at the age of five to six; during this same period, the child begins to develop purposeful imagination, logical thinking and elements of creativity.

Researchers have found that over time, creativity peaks at increasingly younger ages. If in the 19th century this happened on average at 17 years of age, then in the 80s of the 20th century - already at eight years, and in the 90s - at five to six years. It is logical to assume that by now this peak is reached even earlier - around three years. After all, the specialization of neurons, their typification in the projection and associative areas of the cortex begins from two and a half to three years. Therefore, the development of creativity can begin already at this age. However, at the initial stage, all exercises must be supported by visual images and motor actions.

Main focuses of creativity development

Most creative tasks are based on contradictions as a manifestation of the inconsistency between the various requirements placed on something. Examples of contradictions:

I know what to do, but I don’t know how;
by improving one property of an object, another property of it will deteriorate;
making a decision will lead to the emergence of a new problem.

Children need stability, which is possible only within the framework of situations that are understandable to them, and therefore are especially sensitive to such contradictions and instinctively move away from them. One of the tasks of an adult is to teach a child not to be afraid of contradictions, to arouse interest in them and confidence in the possibility of resolving any. In addition, you have to develop in your child the ability to analyze all the resources at his disposal and use the necessary ones from this arsenal to solve a specific problem.

One of the technologies for developing creativity is the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ), elements of which are used in some preschool educational institutions. There is enough literature in this direction; your task is to choose exercises that are appropriate to the child’s age. By the way, there are now enough inventive tasks adapted for preschool age, and development centers offer entire programs for the development of creativity starting from the age of two.

To improve creative abilities, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions:

physical (availability of materials for creativity and the ability to act with them at any moment);
socio-emotional (the child’s feeling of external security: his creative manifestations should not receive any negative reaction from adults);
psychological (the child’s sense of internal security: support for creative endeavors from adults, encouragement);
intellectual (methods of action with problematic tasks that are learned in the process of solving them).

The conditions also include cooperation with adults in the process of creative activity. And for this, parents need to reduce their own psychological inertia as a stable system of patterns and conditioned reflexes. A number of scientists claim that creativity reaches its peak by the age of five (98–100%), by adolescence it decreases to 30%, by the age of fifteen – to 12–15%, and adult creativity rarely exceeds 5–7%. And one of the reasons for this is precisely the growing psychological inertia, i.e., patterns of thinking and action developed over the years. Solving the simplest, at first glance, problems will help reduce it.

You can start with daily tasks:

prepare a new dish from ingredients available at home;
brush your teeth or even write with your other hand;
during the week, get to work in a new way each time;
try activities that are unfamiliar to you, for example, take some courses;
make an imaginary or real rearrangement of furniture in the apartment;
solve various mental problems for adults. You can do most creative tasks together with your child, complementing his suggestions, thereby developing and at the same time enriching the child’s experience.

Examples of tasks and games to develop creativity

Tasks to resolve obvious contradictions (the closet should be both large and small; the chair should be both small and adults; the boat should be both narrow and wide).
Game "Robinson Crusoe" (how to survive if you only have a million fishing rods; a thousand light bulbs; a hundred boxes of chewing gum).
Game “Ideal Constructor” (we assemble from improvised means or only from round objects).
Find commonality between objects, elements of the same system (arms and legs), homogeneous systems (tree and bush), different systems (light bulb and crocodile).
Exercise “Fantastic addition and subtraction” (table + chair; house + wheels; chair – legs; house – wall).
Isolating an object or part of it and placing it in an alien environment (monkey - to the north; fish - to a tree).
Game “Conversation about a picture” (choose a picture with a complex plot with action and discuss what and why the people depicted in it are doing, what is missing to complete the plot).
Exercise “What to do with...” (take any object, for example, a glass, and try to find as many options as possible for what can be done with it).
Any type of creative activity and a combination of its different types (modeling, drawing, theatrical performance, etc.).
Depiction of abstract phenomena (love; poverty; cry).
Game “Crocodile” (one player depicts an animal, feeling, object using facial expressions and gestures, the rest try to guess).

To summarize, we emphasize that your main task is to awaken in the child, through creative tasks, an interest in new things, in knowledge. Be sure to draw his attention to the miracles that surround him: how amazing it is that birds fly, that flowers bloom, that some person can do something that many others cannot. And then the child himself will ask you to come up with and solve various problematic problems together with him, thereby stimulating the development of creativity of all family members. By observing what is happening around you, you will be able to pose new questions to your child: why the poles might have swayed, why the grass grows differently in different places, etc. – and in the process of practice, receive more and more answer options. This will develop the child’s attentiveness, teach him to work with various resources and find many possible solutions to problem situations. Our life offers us valuable and varied sources for the daily development of creativity. Take advantage of this opportunity and be amazed with your children!

Questions for reflection and self-examination

We invite you to reflect on what you read and exercise your own creativity.

What is creativity?
At what age, in your opinion, can the development of a child’s creative abilities begin?

from birth;
from one year;
from two years;
from three years;
from four years old;
From five years;
At the age of six;
from the age of seven?

Explain your choice.

What are the physiological basis of creativity?
What conditions need to be created for children to optimally develop creativity?
What is psychological inertia, and what exercises do you think will most effectively help reduce it?
Come up with new tasks to overcome psychological inertia.
Together with your child, find as many ways as possible to solve problems from those proposed (in the case where this is permissible). Come up with new exercises to develop creative thinking.
Find paintings with fantastic images and discuss them with your child, come up with a whole story about what they are (surrealist paintings are suitable).
What miracle did you draw (draw) your child’s attention to today?

Creative abilities help not only children, but also their parents. A creative approach allows you to find optimal ways out of the most difficult situations. Undoubtedly, one of such situations is when a child starts attending kindergarten. Some people have already gone through this (and perhaps more than once), while others have yet to go through it. How was your baby’s adaptation? Have you used unconventional techniques to help your child get through this period easier? What should parents pay attention to when their children are just about to start attending kindergarten? We will discuss these and many other questions regarding adaptation to kindergarten in exactly one month, because September is just around the corner!

Answers to questions on the previous topic “Mom, I’m scared!” Children's fears: first aid for parents

At the age of five, my daughter developed a fear that we, her parents, would die. There were no stressful situations that could have led to this. Where could the fear come from? Does it meet the standard? And how can you overcome it?

One of the main fears of the age of five to seven years is precisely the fear of death. A child may fear death, either his own or his loved ones, or in connection with a specific situation. Then the so-called accompanying fears appear, for example, diseases, animals or fire. And the baby is afraid that he will die after an illness, or that a dog will bite him, or that he will burn.

Most children experience this fear in various manifestations and degrees of intensity at a certain age. It testifies to the emotional maturity of the child, his readiness to accept the fact of the finitude of human life.

Despite the fact that there are no deviations from the norm in this case, it is important not to ignore the issue and talk with the child about this topic. First of all, it is necessary to find out what exactly the baby is afraid of: the death of mom and dad in principle or their death in connection with a certain situation. Perhaps this will give you an idea of what might have caused the fear and what topics are best avoided. For example, if he is worried about your safety on the road, then it is better not to once again focus attention in conversations between each other on the news about accidents on the roads, and raise this topic as little as possible.

Also, talk to your child about the topic of death in general. Answer the questions that concern him, just let the answers be honest. Promising eternal life is not worth it. Also try not to show your child that you yourself are worried about this: he needs your confidence and support now more than ever. Tell him that your death or the death of your child is still far away, that he first needs to grow up and that many interesting events await him ahead. If he is interested in what happens after death, then it is better to explain it from the point of view of your own views (immortality of the soul, rebirth, peace). Avoid using dangerous comparisons, such as with sleep. As a result, the child may begin to be afraid to fall asleep. And under no circumstances should you use the topic of death as a way to make a child more obedient. As a result, fear may worsen and the baby’s anxiety will increase.

Do scary toys influence the appearance of phobias?

Scary toys have slightly different functions. Their task is to help the child throw out negative emotions, aggression or fears. He can break “bogeymen” and “kill” them in the game. In this way, the baby struggles with his internal problems, learns to recognize them and control fears and aggression. Frightening toys also help the child understand the topic of good and evil, evaluate his own actions from these positions, and therefore serve his moral education. First of all, we are talking about traditional fairy tale heroes, for example, Baba Yaga or Koshchei.

Heroes of modern films and cartoons can have an ambiguous influence on a child. After all, positive and negative characters sometimes look equally strange, sometimes frightening, and they cannot always be clearly classified as good or evil. When choosing toys, it is important to pay attention to the fact that they are clearly positive or negative, otherwise in the child’s mind the thin line between good and bad can become blurred and ambiguous. And at his age, it is more important than ever that this division is obvious.

Of course, in some cases, scary toys can cause fears. To avoid this, buy them at the request of the child or on your own initiative, but in the presence of the baby. If the toy is associated with a traumatic situation, then it is better to remove it from the child’s eyes, maybe even carry out an entire ritual of destruction. Make sure that the number of good characters exceeds the number of scary ones. And one more thing - it is better to buy scary toys only for children over three years old and under no circumstances store them in a visible place or in the child’s room. After six years, normally frightening toys should not lead to any fears or anxieties in the child.

A child was poisoned in kindergarten and is now afraid to eat, and sometimes even simply refuses. What to do in such a situation?

If the situation occurred recently, then it is necessary to wait time so that it ceases to be so pressing in the child’s mind. First of all, he needs your support and care. Regardless of his behavior, demonstrate confidence and calm. At the same time, you can start playing doctor and kitchen. Purchase appropriate kits, including fruits and other products. Kitchen-related game scenarios can correspond to your daily events or represent fictional plots. At the same time, play a doctor who treats animals, teaches them hygiene, the rules of a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition. Over time, let Aibolit explain to the animals what nausea is, when it occurs and what needs to be done in this case. After some time, include your child in cooking at home, starting from the moment you buy groceries.