Childcare and its Crucial Role in Developing Creativity

Creativity is an essential part of many professions and pursuits, providing the imaginative skills to think beyond what already exists, and find new ways to make things happen.  Inventors, mathematicians and scientists all use creative skills as well as artists, film makers and authors.

Jonothan’s son Riley was displaying strong signs of creativity as he played with paints, toys and even lego.  He talked to Riley’s Coogee Care Centre educator, Simone, about developing his son’s creative side.  Simone assured Jonathon that the programme embraced creativity in the children with intrinsic participation apparent in the range of activities.

Encouraging Creativity In Childcare

Riley’s Coogee childcare centre used a wide variety of toys, games and teacher directed moments to help children widen their creativity skills. Building materials such as blocks, Lego and Duplo, marble runs, Connetix  and other construction activities gave children opportunities to design and create ways to build and invent.

Natural and found objects along with glue, paper, paint and other craft materials like fabric, and shells were readily available and set up at tables where children could make pictures, patterns and shapes either directed or undirected. All activities were largely undirected, with educators allowing children to follow their own imagination even when a particular theme was being introduced.

As well as this, a dedicated art corner provided traditional materials like paint, crayons and pencils for drawing and painting.  The music corner also allowed children to develop their skills in sound, rhythm and patterns.

More Benefits Of Creativity

Creative pursuits help increase children’s vocabulary and communication skills as they learn new ideas and develop their own imagination.  Educators encourage children to talk about their creations and introduce new verbs, nouns and adjectives  as they observe the colours, shapes, objects and action.  Letting children describe other children’s creations is also a great way to build confidence in verbalizing their thoughts.

Many children use art as a way to express their emotions and inner thoughts and their art can provide a glimpse into how the child is feeling.  This can help the educator bring the child into a discussion and encourage using words to talk about their feelings.

Why Childcare Helps Creative Kids

Childcare centres are uniquely placed to strongly develop creativity in the children that attend.  In a childcare setting, children have access to a wide range of equipment and materials that they can use.  They have the opportunity to work alongside other children creatively, expanding their own imagination and building on others, developing vocabulary and verbal skills as they talk about their creative processes with peers.

Children also have the benefit of trained educators to bring out their creative skills, and provide teaching and learning opportunities for them, including excursions and incursions to fire the imagination.

Jonothan began to see how Riley’s creativity was being developed by his experiences at childcare and the vast range of activities and materials he had access to at the centre.  He was grateful that his son had a passionate and dedicated teacher to encourage him