At least according to the school calendar, it’s the first day of summer! I’m looking ahead to the next several months and wondering what I’m going to do to keep the kids entertained (so that they don’t drive me crazier than I already am!). So, this afternoon, we went to the library. As per my usual, when I’m interested in a topic, I check out a stack of books about it.
Today, some of the titles I picked up: 101 Easy Wacky Crazy Activities, The Busy Mom’s Book of Preschool Activities, Easy Homeschooling Techniques. So far, I’m really happy with the ideas in the first one, but I’ve barely been able to look through the others.
There was one other I got that had me tsking and shaking my head in disagreement with some of their statements: Kids Play: Igniting Children’s Creativity. I have not read the whole thing yet, by any means, but I was flipping through it while the kids played on the computers at the library today. Among other things, I saw a list of things you should and should not do to foster creativity in your children. Glaring out at me were the words: “16. Avoid painting with children, especially if they copy you or compare.”
Ok, I used to subscribe to this theory. I never wanted my kids to feel bad for their efforts at drawing or painting, so I would refrain from doing much of either in front of them. I don’t know if it’s because J is older now, or I’ve just adopted a new way of thinking, but now I think that children SHOULD see us doing the things we are talented in. I do not think their works should be compared to mine, but rather that we should do the activities together.
Why has my thinking changed? I think of all the times I sit to do something (like draw, paint, knit or crochet) but I don’t know how to achieve the image I have in my head. I don’t know the techniques to use, I don’t know the tricks of the trade, so to speak. I’ve never had anyone to watch, anyone to emulate. So, although I am artistically inclined, and I can draw and paint better than some people, I’ve never learned how to sharpen that raw talent into a useful skill.
BUT, I have these two children who are sponges. They will soak up everything they see, everything they hear. So, maybe if I do the things I enjoy and let them watch, they will absorb some of the tricks I have managed to learn through my thirty years of trial and error. I think that this enhances their ability to create rather than stifling their desire to create.
Anyone else have an opinion on this? I’ll have to read the book more carefully to see if there’s a solid reason behind the author’s recommendation, but as of now I’m fully in disagreement!
