In this page we will be looking at the different areas of creativity. We will look at why these areas are important; what skills they develop and also give you ideas to try at home.
💃 🕺 Dancing💃 🕺
‘Dance as if no one is watching!’
It’s a brilliant saying which aims to encourage you to do your own thing and be confident while doing it, but how many of us really do dance without caring about what other people think? We’ve all been nervous about being the first people up on the dance floor at a party for the fear of every single eye in the room being on us. What if we look silly? What if we actually can’t dance? Think about that party dance floor. Who is it that is usually appearing to have the most fun: the best dancer in the room or the one’s busting out the moves with their arms flailing all over the place? The saying really does have some merit. Dancing really does encourage confidence simply because of the joy it can bring us. It releases serotonin and endorphines; the brain’s happy hormones. It can also be done anywhere with no resources; you don’t even need music.
Creatively, dance teaches children the language of movement. What could jumping as high as you can mean? That you’re happy? Frightened? Can you pretend to be something else while you dance? A tip-toing mouse? A tree blowing in the wind?
The benefits of dancing for children:
- its a great work out for your cardiovascular system. It gets the heart pumping and the lungs burning. It’s also a great way to build muscle strength, particularly in your legs.
- following a dance routine helps a child to develop their listening skills and problem solving skills
- dancing without a routine can also develop spatial awareness
- it can be a social activity where you interact with others. Dancing is a great equaliser since anyone can do it regardless of age, gender or race
- it can teach children traditions from other cultures, broadening their understanding of the wider world. Scotland has ceilidhs: does India have its own dance traditions? What about Ireland?
Dance ideas:
- casually listening to pop, rock or whatever genre of music you like and just go for it.
- Jump Start Johnny’s dance based exercise routines
- Zumba
- organised dance classes such as disco, tap, ballet, Latin
- dance routines on YouTube
- dancing with props: cheerleading pom poms, majorettes, rhythmic dancing with ribbons
- kitchen rave with glow sticks, sunglasses and high energy music
- livingroom music festival: stream your favourite singer/band’s concert on the telly and pretend you’re in the crowd dancing away. Could you dress up for the occasion?
- put on a show! Sing a song and perform a dance routine
Focus: Loose Parts Play
Have you ever noticed that your child spends lots of time playing with the empty box rather than the toy that came in it? Do they gather up random items and play with them? This is Loose Parts Play.
Loose Parts Play is basically the use of simple, everyday objects in play. These items will be open ended and can be used by your child in many different ways. These objects can improve creativity, boost social and problem-solving skills and support inclusion.
Examples of loose objects includes: – feathers – dolly pegs – wooden rounds – sticks -pine cones – twine – bottle lids – yoghurt pots – shells – lolly sticks
Children may do the following with the loose parts: – build – small world play – make patterns – count – gather and transport – ‘cook’ with
One major benefit to Loose Part Play is that the items can be gathered during recycling e.g bottle tops or can be found on nature walks, e.g sticks. This makes loose part play very inexpensive and therefore accessible for all families regardless of income.
Another benefit to Loose Parts Play is that the items are completely open to interpretation from your child. A peg could be a person, or a car or used to join two other items together. This will allow children to develop their creativity which in turn boosts their confidence in their ability to ‘think outside the box’.
Focus: Montessori Activities 🪁
Creative Learning takes place all the time! This document from The Montessori Notebook lists useful activities from birth to 5 to try! Children will be doing many of these already through everyday activities, learning to become curious, confident, problem solvers!
The ultimate list of Montessori activities for babies, toddlers and preschoolers
Focus: Storytelling 📖💡
“The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic ‘right-brain’ thinkers.” – Daniel Pink
That’s what storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instil hope again and again.” – Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks
Developing and enhancing creativity. Small children are imagination machines. Encouraging them to tell stories teaches them to harness that imagination.
Encouraging language development. Telling stories helps a child develop language and vocabulary. The more they practice and the more they explore words, the more confidently they will be able to put their thoughts into sentences.
Building confidence and self-esteem. Children require reassurance and confidence as they take the path to independence. Being able to invent their own stories and discovering that their ideas count is a wonderful boost to their self-esteem.
Focus: Painting 🎨
So when we think about creativity, painting is probably the form that pops into our head first. We imagine creative geniuses painting their masterpiece on a canvas. Some of us are even quite frightened to paint a picture because we fear what we create will be ridiculed for not looking like it should. The thing is, it doesn’t matter what your picture looks like, it just matters what you or your child gets from the painting experience. Your interpretation of a bowl of fruit is just as important as your friend’s and the same goes for children’s work.
Tip: set aside your notion of what colours should be used for, for example, a tree. If your child wants to paint a purple tree then this shows creativity and not a lack of understanding of the fact that they are usually brown and green. 🖼
The most traditional method of painting is to use a paint brush. Using paintbrushes develops the strength in children’s hands (fine motor); their big movement skills (gross motor) their hand-eye co-ordination. Using paint brushes also encourages the exploration of colour though paint mixing and of course supports early writing skills such as mark making. 🖌
Did you know you don’t need to just use paint with a paint brush? A fun activity the children in the centre love is to use brushes with water on the ground in the outside area. Part of the fun is to watch their water marks disappear while they dry which promotes the exploration of science within creativity.
🎨 There are many different other ways to paint or print beside using the traditional paint brush. You can use:
- toothbrushes – flowers – mops -rollers – sponges – sticks -leaves – feathers
Maybe you could use an unusual item with your child to paint with and share it on the blog or on the ECC’s Facebook page?
Below is a video of different materials you can use to paint and print with.
Finger Painting: this may seem like your child is just trying to make a mess but it’s actually a vital part of creative development. This is a sensory experience which is good for developing confidence, exploring textures and great for finger muscle development. 🖐
Painting is a messy process but it is an important skill to develop. Be prepared with matts, table cloths, kitchen roll and towels if potential mess concerns you. 🧼🧻
Have fun! 😃
👧🏾🧑🏼CfE:
EXA02a: I have the freedom to discover and choose ways to create images and objects using a variety of materials.
EXA05a: inspired by a range of stimuli, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through activities within art and design.
LIT21a: …I enjoy exploring interesting materials for writing and different ways of recording my experiences and feelings, ideas and information.
HWB21a: I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding out how to use and share space.
🧒🏽👦🏻Under 3s:
I can use my fingers to paint.
I can paint using a brush and tell an adult what it is.
I can experiment with a variety of tools to mark make, draw, paint…
I can mix and combine messy materials.
