Sharon Scott, LPC, LMFT - Inspiring Kids Creativity This Holiday Season
A recent article in Newsweek stated, “For the first time, research shows that American creativity is declining.” It was reporting the latest results from the Torrance Tests of Critical Thinking which evaluates the “CQ”—creativity quotient—of Americans. This test has been ongoing with children since the 1950s. "Those who came up with more good ideas on Torrance's tasks grew up to be entrepreneurs, inventors, college presidents, authors, doctors, diplomats, and software developers," write Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, authors of the Newsweek article. "The correlation to lifetime creative accomplishment was more than three times stronger for childhood creativity than childhood IQ."
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Books That Work!
By Sharon Scott
Family counselor Sharon Scott is the author of 8 books including this delightful series for children that is "co-authored" by her savvy cocker spaniel Nicholas who makes learning valuable life skills fun.
Too Smart for Trouble , a best-selling, award-winning book, teaches children to think on their own and how to say no when asked to do something wrong.
Not Better... Not Worse... Just Different is must reading for children to learn to be more sensitive to others, avoid bullying and know how to handle teasing.
Life's Not Always Fair is a child's guide for managing emotions and learning to soothe oneself when mad, sad, scared or confused.
Nicholas' Values is a delightful guide helping children develop good character traits such as honesty, confidence, sharing and so much more!
Too Cool for Drugs helps children learn why and how to say no to drugs--drug education must begin in the home at an early age!
This brings me to how important it is that children be given time to use their imagination in what some parents might see as non-productive ways. Do you remember saying to your little friends “let’s pretend xyz” or as my friends and I said, “playlike xyz?” Children need time to pretend and older children need time to daydream. Ideas often come when we are “doing nothing!” Much of TV does not encourage pretending nor do video games. Parents arrange (and often manage) play dates and sporting outings.
An active imagination is at the heart of thinking creatively. So instead of buying all the “canned” entertainment/technology for holiday presents, be creative yourself and think about what you could give your child that encourages an active imagination. Dance lessons? A book on magic tricks? Tickets to a play or a symphony? A telescope? A box full of old jewelry or clothes for dressup? An art kit? Games that require thought? Enrich their environment.
Teach your children to think out of the box. Laugh at “crazy” ideas—and listen to them without being judgmental! Talk to your child about creative children. Tell them it’s okay to be interested in things that don’t interest their friends. One successful author said, “My elementary school experiences were awful ... if (only) somebody had told me back then that I was 'creative' I would have had something to hold on to. All I know was that I was different.”
Copyright 2010, Sharon Scott. No reproduction without written permission from author.
P.S. Please see my other column SmileNotes.
Her best-selling book for teens,
Friends,shows adolescents how to select and meet quality friends and, in general, feel good for doing and being good.