my organized chaos imaginative play€¦ · play along! children copy their parents, show them that...
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Imaginative PlayMy Organized Chaos
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
Kids are imaginative beasts but the problem is that when they get into the school system they are forced to squash their imagination into a box that looks like everyone elses. I personally have a big problem with this and feel that kids should be encouraged to take their imagination wherever it leads them.
A wild imagination doesn’t have to be just for the “creative” types such as designers, illustrators or writers. An imagination and creative thinking is useful in all kinds of situations.
Why...
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
Often people think that imagination and the creative process is all about art, but it’s not. The creative outlet can be found in many places...
It’s not about art...
music
cooking
designing
dancing
drawing
singing
maths
problem solving
engineering
science experiments
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
I have a number of friends who recruit new employees for their company and they say there is an increasing trend for kids out of university to be academically bright but they have poor creative skills.
Plus there are many companies that are going the way of Google who make their employment decisions not on academics but on problem solving skills and personality.
The Problem Today...
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
Have plenty of resources that encourage imaginative play
How Do I Help My Child?
play silks (click for tutorial) Lego
Cars
Play Food(felt food pinterest board) Makedo
(on Amazon)
Dolls
Dress Up Clothes
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
Books, books and more books!
Fiction Colouring Books
Non fiction Crafting Books
Encyclopedias Magazines
Specific Topics Picture Books
How Do I Help My Child?
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
How Do I Help My Child?Watch programs that will encourage them to ask questions
Go to Google, type in watch + TV programs name“Watch Mythbusters”
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
Make a Big Questions Board
Sometimes your child will ask you a question that you don’t know the answer or you’re in the middle of doing dinner so when that happens, either you jot the question down or if they are at the writing stage, they write the question and you pop it on a board (or in a jar).
Then when you have some time you can go and pick out a question and help them research the answer. It might mean doing an experiment or looking it up in a book (or google it!)
Encourage them to ask questions!
How Do I Help My Child?
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
Play along!Children copy their parents, show them that you use your imagination too! Play along with their storylines, make up stories, ask yourself questionsout loud. And once in a while, put your pants on over your tights and go and do theshopping (or at the very least, a cape!)
How Do I Help My Child?
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
Creative people tend to be messy, maybe not all the time but during the process. And that’s OK!When your child is in the creative process, allow the mess. You might want to set up some boundaries but don’t stifle it completely. As a very creative person, I know that if my process is quashed, I don’t do my best work.So if they are making a den and take over the whole living room, for a few hours, does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?If they are building a mega city with Lego and all their cars and train set, that is cool, as long as they know from the offset that it needs to be tidied away at the end of the day.
Making A Mess Is OK!
© Jo Ebisujima 2014 www.my-organized-chaos.com
A few things to think about…
When is your child the most creative?
How can you encourage more of it?
What do they struggle with creatively?
How can you help with that?
Where does their creativity lie?