How mom can influence children's creativity and growth
The first years of a child's life are extremely important both for his growth and for the later development of his life. His brain is like an almost unwritten paper waiting for stimuli from his environment to form it. In general, what will be written on the white paper depends on the child's relationship with his parents or those who take care of him, because at these ages he is completely dependent on them.
Since Mother's Day is celebrated worldwide on the second Sunday in May, we will dedicate this article to all the caring mothers of the world. The American activist Anna Maria Jarvis (1864-1948) proposed the establishment of this special day in honor of the mother and chose the white carnation as a symbol. Because "its white color symbolizes the truth, purity and compassion of motherly love; its aroma, her memory and her prayers". Let's see, then, what role plays the social environment and especially the mother who is closest to her child in his development and evolution.
From the labor process onwards, an infant begins to experience what is happening around him. At each brain development stage, different stimuli and memories are recorded in an extremely complex way through the creation of attachment relationships with its parents or caregivers. Up to 3 years, his psychosocial and cerebral development is very fast and the foundations are laid for his maturity and future relationships. However, each child has his own pace of development without meaning that he deviates from the normal.
Creativity
Creativity is a journey in which we cultivate the imagination and through divergent - creative thinking we develop ingenuity and improve our abilities to solve problems. If man did not use his creative thinking along with logic there would be no progress in many areas of human activity.
In early childhood he manifests himself with creative expression. If the mother wants to boost the toddler's creativity, she can for example give him a stack of bricks and ask him to find how many different shapes he can create with these bricks. As the child grows, the creative process is enhanced by:
- appropriate stimuli, such as magnetic tiles, books, drawing pads, crayons or markers
- interactive games
- reading a fairy tale with him
- letting him choose what to eat or wear
- making him independent
So, if you want to enhance your child's creativity and divergent thinking, a good and original idea is to make your own fairy tale with him. You will need a notebook half blank and half lined, a pencil for the story and crayons for the drawings. Alternatively use the cossy magnetic tiles to build the castle of his dreams. In both creative processes you will spend quality time together, while at the same time, the child will have made his own story or castle, sharpening his imagination and creativity.
Natural curiosity and exploration of the environment
Natural curiosity is inherent in humans, especially in children who are ignorant of danger. When babies start exploring the environment, they grab various objects with their hands and put them in their mouths, then examine them and as time goes by and the crawl starts, they look for and dig out whatever they can get inside the house thus learning new things. It's the easiest way to sharpen their senses and enrich their knowledge. At these ages is the sole responsibility of the parent to shape the environment in which the baby moves (objects, toys, furniture), as the infant is not able to know what is beneficial and what can harm him.
In the later brain development stages and at older ages, nature exploration plays an important role. Parents can plan when they have free time to go with their children for walks in the countryside, do activities and play interactive games during which the focus is on observing, exploring and learning about the natural world around them. Also, parents have to lead by example and engage in outdoor sports, such as walking, running, cycling, swimming or sailing. Do not wait your child to become an athlete if you are all day sitting in front of a computer or on the couch watching TV.
Learning creative process - role of care and play
Without a doubt, play is the most enjoyable way for a child to learn about himself, the world around him, how to behave towards others. That is why it is very important for the parent to be informed and to choose toys that are suitable and safe for the age of the child and to let the child choose what he likes best.
At the same time, however, the parent should set limits on the number and types of toys that the child wants to buy. A good method is for the parent to give the new toys at reasonable intervals and to communicate with relatives and friends so that the child is not loaded with a variety of toys that he does not need and will get bored quickly. Cossy magnetic tiles are a great idea for this purpose. They have so many possibilities that make it easy for children to find out new ways to play and accelerate their creativity without being bored. Parents must also keep in mind that new toys do not make up for their absence, nor are they bought to cover their guilt or to redeem the child's love.
Through play, parents can develop with their children a free and appropriate communication, coordinated with the needs that the children themselves communicate (contingent communication). In childhood, it is important for parents to spend enough quality time with their children playing and talking. At older ages it is good to leave them more independent.
It is also proven that creativity awakens when you start to get bored! So let them get bored, do not offer them technology as a solution. Even in places that would be an easy alternative for everyone, such as in the car, in restaurants or in a mall. Take advantage of this time for socialization. Think of it as a creative process to train their brain to function when they feel bored.
In conclusion, in order for each parent and especially the mother to be able to give her child the best start in life and to develop as a complete personality, they will have to work hard. They can look for effective strategies to constantly get better and of course not give up when difficult times begin. The parenting role is a constant challenge, but through difficulties and mistakes one learns how to improve.