Silkysteps early years forum - planning ideas for play - What damage caused when parents dont recognise their childs creative efforts

From the moment they are born children need to learn and grow to be able to develop. It’s vital that we encourage and show children how important it is to do a large variety of creative activities to support their growth and everyday development. As a practioneer we offer a wide range of creative from messy to role-play and encourage children to get involved and have a go. If there are children that do not want to get involved in any activities then we slowly involve them gradually to avoid them getting upset or distressed. If a child is never introduced to any creative activities in their childhood then this could lead to the child becoming withdrawn and might have problems with independence later on if life and maybe even impact on other areas of their development, so it’s important that children value creativity and that we show them and offer them support along the way.

What a child gets out of creative activities is greatly influenced on what the adult puts into it. Carers/parents should provide a wide range of resources which are chosen to promote the type of learning they want for their child. Discussion with the children during these activities is important even if it’s talking about textures, colours, numbers or letters, this will help extend their child’s language skills as well as their communication. So as well as doing these activities at school or nursery it’s vital for the parents/carers to continue this at home.

The importance of spending creative time with children and the benefits that can be seen

Spending time with children during creative activities is vital, during these activities children will learn and develop quickly so it’s important to know if the child is doing the right activity and using the right tools for their level of development, once they reach a goal then the activity can be extended and tools can be changed or added. If adults have no knowledge of what children have done already then they are powerless to help that child progress. Observing and recording of what children have or have not achieved can help adults determine what they can be offered next. Listening to children as they do different creative activities is important as children need to express their feelings and experiences, during this time their vocabulary will extend and their communication and language will develop as they talk about their painting or car they have made, fine motor skills also improve as they use a variety of tools to create their own sculptures or pictures.

Hope it helps a little.