The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul ─ Dieter F Uchtdorf

I remember my teaching days, when many kids floored me with their creativity and talent. I remember very fondly one of my students in Class III, who preferred to write his answers in beautiful cursive handwriting rather than complete his paper. Even the numbering of questions and answers was done artistically. 

As a teacher I was concerned that he was failing to complete his paper. I often tried to gently tell him that completing the paper is also important, but it didn’t bother him much because he was not in competition with other kids for high marks. If I gave an exercise in paragraph writing, I always looked forward to reading what he wrote, as it was always very imaginative and different from other students. I asked his mother to encourage him with some formal training in arts, but he never enjoyed learning from others. His was more of an inborn talent. 

When I was teaching middle school kids in a school where children came from very humble backgrounds or from families of first time learners, I found them very eager to learn. I also found them much more confident of going on stage, when compared to students from other schools.

Nita Agarwal

In case of any inter school competition, I preferred to make them write and share their ideas before I helped them in any way, because I always felt they had lot of new interesting ideas to express. It was very refreshing to see such creative talents in many kids. 

Creativity in children is, indeed, very inspiring for teachers and provides the spark to give their best to students. Kids have lots of new creative ideas and it is the duty of teachers and schools to provide them avenues to express them. Parents, too, should provide an environment that allows children to express themselves in whichever way they want. Children’s way of thinking is often different from how we adults think. Creativity is good because it keeps the mind away from negativity and stress that even children experience these days.

Mechanic sets and Lego toys help children learn how to build blocks and make their own toys. It also reflects what holds their attention most. Parents can observe and provide an environment for their children’s inner passion to grow. Such toys build concentration and focus in children and are a step forward in developing thinking and handling complex designs from a young age.  

Some kids love to read story books. On weekends, parents can take them to a children’s library to find new books to read. Reading helps to build their vocabulary and often good readers express themselves well while writing their own stories or poems. The writing skills of children can be developed by making them write essays on various topics of their choice. Encourage them to read classic poets like William Wordsworth and T S Eliot. Parents can do these activities with kids at home and thus spend some quality time together. Such activities need not be limited to school only. 

I have seen that in art competitions, children show so much of ingenuity in expressing their ideas on various social and environmental crisis and their solutions. If you find your child loves to play with colours or makes designs that leave you pleasantly surprised, then take them to various art shows or natural surroundings and ask them to paint and draw. 

Every child has some inborn talent. Parents need to gauge their children’s talents and provide them an opportunity to hone it. Creative talents in children can flow freely only if parents stop running after marks in school exams. Too much emphasis on book knowledge and marks kills creativity in children; because, as psychologist and author, Edward de Bono says, “Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”

Singing, dancing, music, writing poems or expressing their ideas in any art form helps a child to grow into young confident adults.  A creative person never runs out of ideas and this keeps him busy and happy, always. 

In the present stressful environment, we need to raise happy and confident children. By creating a happy, stress free environment for children to explore and grow their own talents, we are paving the way to make our universe full of happy and cheerful people.

“The creative adult is the child who survived,” said American author Ursula Kroeber Le Guin. Sounds so true.  Actress Mary Lou Cook said, “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” 

So, let your children follow  what Mary said so that their spirit within can break free of social norms and expectations and follow their own inner calling. If  children follow their own true nature, it will help them to be in tune with the Self and as well as the Universe. This will help them to grow spiritually, because there definitely is a connection between creativity and spirituality.

And never delay things for your children, waiting for the right time.  As artist and writer, Bruce Garrabrandt, says “Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.”

Nita Agarwal is an ex-Table Tennis State player, qualified teacher, self-taught budding painter, a successful blogger, who writes about her observations of life and people; and most importantly, a working housewife. 

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