September 14, 2024

Quote of the Week

"Play is the shortest route between children and their creative calling." --Vince Gowmon

Six Ways To Help Kids Grow Their Creativity

Brené Brown, bestselling author, researcher, and University of Houston professor, was surrounded by creativity as a child. “I grew up in a pink stucco house in New Orleans where my mom was always a maker. “I never thought about creativity as an act separate from self,” says Brown, who has spent the last two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. “To be human is to be creative.”

Conformity is one of the killers of creativity, Brown has found. Another one is the “art scar,” otherwise known as creative mortification: a negative reaction to your creative efforts, often in childhood, that is so wounding you give up on that pursuit. In Brown’s studies of shame, 85% of participants could remember something so painful and shaming it changed how they thought of themselves as learners.  Half of the time it related to creativity.  Even more of Brown’s interviewees, about 90%, recalled adults who helped them see their value. “I can’t tell you the number of teachers and parents [...] who have said ‘This is art. You have a unique lens. It belongs to no one else,’” Brown says.

So what can parents and teachers do to support positive creative growth in children and students? Read more in this week's article from Greater Good magazine to learn six simple guidelines for nurturing creativity in your children.

Reading Corner

Title: Let The Fire Burn: Nurturing the Creative Spirit of Children
By: Vince Gowmon
Ages: Adult

"Let the Fire Burn is an animated and poetic journey into the creative fire of children, and how to fan its flames. Every child is born with the fullest of creative potential, but due to social conditioning they lose touch with it, and consequently, with their power to create a life of meaning and purpose. Children are here to help us birth a new world, one that is full of joy and imagination. And we as adults have an important role to play in this. In this fun and inspiring children's book for adults, learn the many colorful and engaging ways you can support children to feel and express their creative spirit. Gain a better appreciation for how they are our wise teachers, inviting our own inner child and creative fire to come out and play." --Publishers

Be the Change

When was the last time you tried a creative pursuit that you enjoyed during your childhood? Try something new and do it alongside your kids! How does it feel when you create something (music, art, anything!) without any judgment? Capture the joy of creating just for the fun of it, like a kid!