An amazing phenomenon has been observed since the
1930. It is called the Flynn Effect. It is a scientific observation on
increasing IQ scores across generations. We are, in fact, smarter than our
grandparents and parents! It’s a little surprise. Look around you. Can you
identify the many information and sensory enrichment sources that enhance our
knowledge and decision making capacity? Did these sources exist when grandma
was eight years old? So that explains the increasing figures!
The ancient
“nature Vs nurture” battle in human breeding. Generations get smarter with
time. Before you add a chip on your shoulder, just hold the thought. The next
generations however have declined in terms of creative performance, by at least
10 points! Now that’s some generation gap not
to brag about. Your child is born a creative genius. But you (yes you!) have
been over-doing certain actions that kills their creativity.
Watch out and tell
us if you can relate:
Rewards: Why have we shifted the locus of motivation
from intrinsic to extrinsic? By rewarding our children with stars, stickers,
badges and even sweets we are training them to work the “right” amount! A kids
will put in only that much effort that is needed to win a sticker! Sometimes we
even make these stickers too easy to achieve! We want creativity boosters not
inhibitors. We need to develop the love of their creation not the stickers!
Shadowing: Hovering on your child while they work is
another no-no. Always sitting with them and directing their projects makes them
feel insufficient or ill-equipped to run their own affairs. Let them be. As
long as their working environment is safe, let them pursue their creative ride
alone. Risk taking is the precursor to confidence in capabilities. Mistakes are
the most valuable part of the learning process. Let them make theirs!
The right
answer: Since when is the world black or white? We know as adults, life usually
deals in the grey area. Decisions are a mix of rights and wrong, completely
contingent on the situation. Creativity is boosted when a problem has multiple
solutions! There is no one correct or wrong answer!
Let them get bored: A bored afternoon is the most
productive afternoon! After the whining has subsided, wait for the ideas! Don’t
be afraid of the boredom. Simply turn off the TV and force your kids to think
of ideas to keep them engaged and productive.
Some words of wisdom:
Creativity is boosted when things are done in
pursuit to the proposed solutions, not perfection! Each mistake stimulates the
imagination to yield more creative ideas. When it comes to drawing, we as
parents need to be even more careful.
What should parents do? According Ryan
Woodward:
Tell them how happy you are to see them drawing.
Tell them how much you love to see their drawings
and how it makes you feel.
Encourage them to keep drawing what they love to
draw.
Above everything, teach them to continue to LOVE to
draw.
Do not talk about getting better. That talk will fill them with anxiety that
they have to start to meet a social standard of good art.
And that unrealistic standard frequently
turns to fear of art and ultimately quitting art.
If
this love for drawing is strongly rooted in them at a young age, then there is
nothing that will stop their greatness.
They will improve at an accelerated rate because they will still love
the act of drawing. They will stretch
their growth beyond the course curriculum because every assignment will be a
labor of love, and personal joy, not a grade.
Their careers will find them and their love for the work will expand
their capacity for creativity. They will
continue to seek for personal wonder and awe in their work for the rest of
their lives and not the paycheck or the pat on the back. Ultimately, they will be much more happy with
their lives. ~ Ryan Woodward
Good luck parents, seems like you have your child’s
creativity at your fingertips!
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