Here is one of many articles that The Creativity
Institute has reviewed and reprinted on nurturing creativity in
children and on educational toys. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers
and school age children can all benefit from the right educational
toys at the right ages, to help them learn that creative choices
are good choices.
Old-fashioned Ways to Inspire Children
By Nicole Dean
Walk through any toy store and you will see
walls and walls of toys that are loud -- toys that require batteries,
have flashing lights, or that look like your child's favorite
movie character.
But, what about those of us who want to raise
children with imagination and curiosity? I'll tell you what we
do. We choose to fill our houses with some of the following old-fashioned
items.
Books
No house can have enough books. Make sure your house has a representation
of great Fiction Books and non-fiction books. A mix of the two
is very important. Most homes have a deficit of non-fiction books,
so fill your home with Science, History and Art books. Children
need to learn to read and appreciate non-fiction books in order
to do well in research when they reach higher levels of study.
Felt Boards
Children love to tell stories with felt. You'll need a felt board
to start. You can make your own board from a sheet of felt or
purchase a board from one of the suppliers below.
Once you have the board, let the fun begin.
Go to a craft or fabric store and buy sheets
of felt in all colors. Then, cut out shapes in all colors and
sizes. (You'll be amazed at how quickly a child will make an alien,
ship, house, or person out of nothing but a few circles, rectangles,
and triangles.)
Blocks and Legos
Children can play for hours building towers, bridges, cities,
creatures, and more with these toys that inspire creativity, patience,
and small-motor skills. When the masterpiece is finished, have
your child pretend to be a giant and smash through the blocks
-- or grab a few small cars and drive around the new city! Be
sure to name the city and have your child tell you all about it.
Art Supplies
Give your child some crayons, scissors, junk mail, and glue. He
or she will be entertained for hours if given encouragement. Please
SUPERVISE closely if you don't want your child to have a self-induced
bad haircut or attach the dog to her artwork!
Puppets
Make puppets out of socks, paper bags, felt, cloth, or popsicle
sticks. Make a stage and tell stories. Get out the video camera
and capture your child's brilliance!
Musical Instruments
Whether your musical instruments are home-made with a comb and
wax paper or store bought, making music is a wonderful way to
spend the day. Teach your child that music can be made from anything,
from an old oatmeal container, to scratching two pieces of sandpaper
together. Go on a walk and just listen to the sounds of the world
-- music is everywhere in our lives.
Dress-up Clothes
Get out old prom dresses, big hats, shirts and ties, old Halloween
costumes (or buy extra pieces after Halloween for year-round fun!).
Bring out a box of costumes and watch the shows with your children
as the stars. Keep a camera handy to capture the fun. Also, keep
an eye on the pets. Cats don't always appreciate wearing a sombrero.
Trust me, I have the scars to prove it!
Doll-houses
There is nothing more fun than watching your child make up stories
as the family members move around in a doll house. Plus, if it
is a wooden dollhouse, there is the added benefit of decorating
it with some wallpaper scraps and carpet remnants! Your dollhouse
could be a family heirloom if you put enough love into it.
In the Kitchen
Kids love to play Kitchen, whether it is mixing air, or getting
to play with food. Give your child a great time by giving them
safe kitchen utensils to play with in the bathtub. Mixing, pouring,
and scooping bubbles and water entertains my children long enough
for them to look pruny. Or for a fun alternative, give them puffed
rice cereal and some bowls and utensils on the kitchen floor.
Just plan to vacuum afterwards as there'll be quite a wonderful
mess!
About the Author:
Nicole is the wacky mom behind http://www.ShowMomTheMoney.com
. Nicole also owns http://www.ShowKidsTheFun.com - a fun site
to inspire parents to keep the lines of communication open with
their children.
Source: www.isnare.com
MORE ON CHILD CREATIVITY
Make
your child
more creative for life.
Every child has creative
ability just waiting to be tapped. Even infants have budding creative
potential. The right educational toys can bring it out. and let
children enjoy the benefits of creative pursuits at many levels.
Infants,
toddlers,
preschoolers,
early
school age and older
school age children all delight in opportunities for creative
expression through colors, shapes and sounds.
At The Creativity Institute, we handpick each infant educational
toy, every creative plaything, each piece of furniture and every
toy musical instrument based on its potential for developing vital
creative resources in your child.
Toy
pianos, oversized
foam building blocks, puppet
theaters and puppet stages and people
and animal hand puppets, art
supplies and children's
easels, play
tents and more. The scale and durability of many of these
toys make them perfect for classrooms, homeschool,
day care centers and waiting rooms, too. The benefits of nurturing
creativity can be profound, offering children tools for success
in all endeavors athletic, artistic or academic. Let your baby
begin now.