Kids who haven’t yet learned to read can use the app to craft their own interactive stories and games by simply snapping together colourful graphical blocks, much like LEGO bricks or puzzle pieces, without any of the obscure punctuation and syntax of traditional programming languages. ScratchJr is available as a free app for both iPad and Android tablets.

Giving Children the Tools They Need to Create and Become Creative Thinkers

People view coding as a narrow technical activity, a valuable job skill useful for only a small subset of the population but Scratch aims to make coding accessible and appealing for everyone, says Mitchel Resnick, the LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab and director of the Scratch Team.

The original Scratch programming language is already used by millions of older kids, but it was too complicated for younger kids. Therefore, the Scratch team redesigned the interface, simplifying it in order to make it more accessible to younger kids and ScratchJr was launched. Platform is the product of a collaboration between the DevTech Research Group at Tufts University, the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, and the Playful Invention Company.

How Does ScratchJr Work?

Through moving and interacting with the library of kid-friendly characters, children will begin to understand how the commands they put together impact the activities on the screen. Users can move characters in any direction, have the character speak, record narration, and choose to hide or show the character. Users can also add customized backgrounds by importing their own photos and change the look of a character using visual editing functions. These technological tools have been inspired by the best kindergarten materials (blocks for building, crayons for drawing, dolls for role-playing, tiles for making geometric patterns), with the aim to allow children to express themselves creatively on the computer. In addition, children can share their interactive stories and games on the Web and engage with other kids in an online community that provides inspiration and feedback.

Copyright: Photo smile

Transformative Potential of Digital Technologies in Education

According to Resnick, in most places where technologies are being used in education today they are used simply to reinforce outmoded approaches to learning.  Both Scratch and Scratch Junior are projects of Resnick’s Lifelong Kindergarten research group, focused on developing new technologies and activities that, in the spirit of the blocks and finger paint of kindergarten, engage people in creative learning experiences. In this way the group hopes to realize what they consider the greatest potential of technology in the educational context.  If creative approach to learning has been so successful in kindergarten, it should be applied in other parts of the educational system as well.

He believes that digital technologies, if properly designed and supported, can play a transformational role in education and extend the kindergarten approach, so that learners of all ages can continue to learn in the kindergarten style”Š and continue to develop as creative thinkers.

What Makes for Good Learning Experiences?

Research has shown that many of our best learning experiences come when we are engaged in designing and creating things, especially things that are meaningful either to us or others around us. In addition, coding allows kids to learn a new method of communication and expression. Coding teaches problem solving and analytical skills that force children to grow intellectually and think outside of the box. As young children code with ScratchJr, they also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of early-childhood numeracy and literacy. In other words, children don’t just learn to code, they code to learn.

Creative Thinking – A Crucial 21st Century Skill

Computers are not just information delivery devices and communication enablers. They are also a medium through which people can create, express and share their creations with others. If we want to take advantage of new computational technologies we need to preserve the creative thinking mindset that is natural to kindergartners. They are quick to find smart solutions to problems that remain unnoticed by  people with a fixed mindset.

Copyright: Syda Productions

How to Get Kids Excited about Coding

One of the most distinctive features of ScratchJr is that young learners can use the app even before they know how to read. This creates the potential for children even younger than ScratchJr’s specified age range to get a jump on learning code. The action of using digital blocks, photos, and backgrounds to make meaning can serve as a new method of creative expression for young students, and can add to the choices for multimodal play in both classroom and home settings. Unlike traditional programming  where it can take days of coding just to get something to move around on screen ScratchJr lets children see pretty good results almost instantly, which then pushes them forward to develop their coding skills further.

Coding as a Way to Help Children Achieve Their Dreams in the Digital Age

The Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group’s mission is to nurture “a world full of playfully creative people who are constantly inventing new opportunities for themselves and their communities”. ScratchJr does this through early hands-on exposure to coding and computational thinking. The idea behind ScratchJr is to provide young children with opportunities to work on projects, based on their passions, in collaboration with peers, in a playful spirit. It helps them prepare for a world where creative thinking is more important than ever before as well as see computers as the valuable learning tools they are rather than merely fun playthings.

Do you think it’s important to introduce children at an early age to the world of coding? Are your kids familiar with ScratchJr? What sorts of projects have they made with this app? Share with us your stories and experience.

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The modern times we live in, along with the development of technology, have brought different widgets and entertainment for children. All they need is to turn on their computer and the fun can begin. Parents are quite busy nowadays, and often they don’t even know how much time their children spend in front of the computer. It does not worry them too much, since they sometimes think this might be a good alternative for their kids, especially when it’s so cold outside. However, there are many other ways how children can spend some quality time at home without being stuck in front of the screen. It takes just a little bit of our imagination, creativity, and a good will. Provide your child with a lot of colorful paper, crayons, watercolors, fabric, buttons and beads and let him or her express and be creative.

Let me share with you some of the ideas regarding activities for our kids that will not only entertain them, but also motivate and develop their imagination and motor skills.

Paper Snowflakes

I am sure many of you still remember how you made your first New Year paper snowflakes in kindergarten or at school. To make these ornaments, all you need is some paper, a pair of scissors and a little bit of your imagination. Begin with a square sheet of paper. Fold it in half twice, then on the diagonal. You will get a triangle. Let your child be creative by cutting paper with scissors in the way he or she wants. You will get the best snowflakes if you cut the paper only a few times. To get fancy snowflakes, use colored paper or let your child decorate them in colored pencil, crayon or marker. To make paper snowflakes, you can use compass drawn paper circles. It’s even easier to make snowflakes by using round coffee filter.

If your child is still too small to help you make these interesting decorations, you might let them create snowflake chains. For this activity you will need scissors, paper and thread or rope to hang snowflakes on the wall or doorcase, as well as sellotape to attach flakes to the thread. Stick the thread to make sure that the flakes will not become loose when children touch and match them to make a chain. Get two sheets of paper or coffee filters. Cut them round. Then put them on top of each other and cut them as you wish. Make a few snowflakes of different shapes. Hang them using a thread or rope so your child can reach them and start making snowflake chains.

Use your imagination to make unusual snowflakes. Your child can help you with that. Here are some of our ideas:

Shredded Paper Snowman

To make your own Shredded Paper Snowman you will need: 2 paper plates stapled together, shredded paper, white glue, scissors, black paper circles for eyes and buttons, orange paper triangle nose. You may add a hat or other decorations a child finds interesting for your little snowman. First you have to stample two paper plates together into a simple snowman shape. Then encourage your child to squeeze glue over paper plates and press handfuls of shredded paper onto the plates. If you want the paper stick better and give your snowman an extra dimension, add the second layer of glue and some more shredded paper on top of the first layer. When you make the body of a real little snowman out of these plates you can start decorating it. Let your child make his/her favourite snowman!

http://www.housingaforest.com/shredded-paper-snowman/

Here is another interesting way how to make your snowman. For this activity you will need sectioned tray, cotton cosmetic pads or white craft foam circles for snowman’s body, small twigs for arms, small lengths of ribbon, trim or fabric for the clothes, colourful buttons, plastic ice crystals, dried black beans. You can use other things as well to decorate the snowman. Give each child a stryrofoam meat tray and let them create their own snowman. This activity will encourage creativity of your child and test their fine motor skills.

http://happyhooligans.ca/build-snowman-activity-tray/

If there is no snow during winter in our country, the following “recipe” can help you and your kids make artificial one, and enjoy in snowflakes and magical winter moments in your home. All you need is a pound of baking soda and shaving cream (whole bottle). First put baking soda into a larger plastic bowl and then slowly add the shaving cream. Let your child mix the ingredients until you get snow mixture to make snowflakes like real ones. To make them sparkle and shine, add some glitter.

Play Dough Activities

Making Christmas and New Year ornaments using play dough, clay or similar materials will help children discover the world around them and develop their fine motor skills. Place vinyl table cloth on the table, prepare a small apron or an old T-shirt and start making ornaments of different shapes and colours! Make sure the play dough you have chosen is flexible enough so that a child can make everything he or she wants without any difficulties that may occur if the material is too hard or too soft. Let them express their creativity without your interfering – perhaps they want to make a forest with forest animals, vegetables, a house for small creatures, jewelry…Their piece of art is not so important as the possibility to express themselves and develop different skills through rolling, pinching and squeezing.

Beside making Christmas ornaments, play dough can be used in many different ways, like for encouraging basic maths skills such as addition. Let your child use play dough to make three trees or baskets. The first two are the summands and the third tree or basket is the sum. Then the child can create different shapes of levaes, fruits, etc. Give them the task and let them explain you the operation and the result using the leaves or fruits. Learn together and play at the same time!

How to Make Play Dough at Home?

If you fear that your child might put play dough in the mouth, or you lack materials for making the ornaments, you can always make your own play dough. You will need:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 cup salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp citric acid
• Food colouring and flavoring (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes. When the dough pulls away from the sides and isn’t sticky anymore, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle. Split dough into 4 equal parts and make small balls. Make a dent in each of them with a finger. Then add a few drops of food colouring. To give the play dough a different smell you can use food flavoring.

Beside play dough you can use clay or dough as well. Use your fingers to pinch and poke a single lump of clay into any shape. It is not possible to add some details on the clay later on due to drying. Instead you must form the details right away from the piece of clay you are working with. To prevent drying, you can wrap unfinished sculpture in cellophane or wet cloth and leave it for a few days. Finished sculture can be dried (which requires 2-3 days) or you can fire it in a kiln. Then the clay is ready for painting.

When your children can’t play in the park due to cold weather or when they have nothing interesting to do, a little bit of your imagination and a few buttons can help you spend some quality time with them at home, playing, encouraging creativity and developing their motor skills. In this blog post we gave you some ideas how your children can learn through play suitable for these winter days. How do you entertain and educate your children during the winter months? We would like to hear your ideas and experiences.

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When you hear the word “creative,” what springs to your mind? Do you think of artists of every type and discipline – musicians like Mozart and Michael Jackson, painters like Picasso and Jackson Pollock, dancers like Misty Copeland, actors and directors like Harrison Ford and Woody Allen, and authors like Jules Verne and J.K. Rowling? Do you imagine famous works of art – works like the Mona Lisa, A Starry Night, “Thriller,” the Turkish March, Great Expectations, Harry, Potter, the Nutcracker, and Swan Lake? Or perhaps places you can view art on display is what you visualize when you hear the “C” word – Carnegie Hall, The Louvre, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art”¦. There are an infinite number of places, people, works, and ideas that one could think of, but what many people never connect to the word “creative” is themselves.

Copyright: Kuttelvaserova Stuchelova

Like intelligence or beauty, creativity is a trait that is seen as rare and inherent, a trait that is intuitive and cannot be taught; the works that are produced by those with creativity are awesome and unattainable. However, if children are given the proper opportunities to practice and develop their creativity, as with any muscle in the human body, the trait will become stronger and feel more natural.

What are the Creative Arts?

But what is creativity? According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, creativity is defined as:

The use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.

This then begs the question: what are the creative arts? In relation to children, the creative arts are activities that engage a child’s imagination and can include activities such as art, dance, drama, puppetry, and music. They stimulate and help children cultivate their abilities across virtually every domain, and they are open-ended activities, fostering flexibility of the mind. And most important of all, the creative arts emphasize the process, teaching kids in a world that is progressively more and more product-driven that the method by which you arrive at the destination is as or more significant than the destination itself.

Copyright: Juta

The Benefits of the Creative Arts

The benefits of including and stressing the creative arts in an early childhood education are numerous and expansive, ranging from the physical to the emotional to the mental. But how can the creative arts develop children’s physical ability? Although we more than not take our actions for granted, our ability to move and our coordination is comprised of gross and fine motor skills, and our skill level in these movements are developed throughout our childhood. Varying types of creative arts activities help children to build up their abilities in both categories of motion. For example, when a child grips and uses a paintbrush, or glues buttons and yarn to paper, he is engaging and advancing his fine motor skills. However, when he dances, skipping or clapping or jumping in time to the music, he stimulates the part of the brain that controls gross motor skills. Childhood utilization of these areas is critical to later adulthood abilities.

Unsurprisingly, the creative arts provide an outlet for young children to explore and gain control over their emotions, too. The arts have always been considered to be a passionate and expressive pastime, and this holds true for kids as well, although in a manner different than for older individuals. For example, while the arts help adults release feelings they might otherwise have difficulty expressing, the arts help young children to explore their emotional range so that they’ll be better equipped to deal with the ups and downs that will become a part of their lives as they grow older. Theater, dramatic play, and role playing, in particular, are all especially suited to developing children’s emotional abilities.

Copyright: Viacheslav Nikolaenko

According to researchers, the creative arts also foster the development of children’s cognitive abilities. Exploring and participating in creative play triggers the use of kids’ imagination, which in turn stimulates and expands their mental capacities. According to Lev Vygotsky, such play enables kids to learn new things, going beyond the previously held belief that children reflect the world around them to state that they internalize and begin to understand it. Furthermore, he believed that this learning process is dependent on children’s social interactions, terming it “scaffolding,” in which a child with a smaller knowledge base increases her skill level by emulating an individual with a larger knowledge base, be it another child or an adult. For example, if a child with underdeveloped fine motor skills sees her friend excelling at painting, she will copy his movements and thus improves her abilities.

The creative arts are often thought of as unimportant, and are frequently the first programs to be cut when funds are low. However, the creative arts not only cultivate children’s imaginations, so that they become more flexible and inventive thinkers, but also help to develop their physical, emotional, and mental capabilities. As such, it is imperative that we work to integrate greater chances for young children to engage in the creative arts, for such measures will provide the foundation for later success.

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Why is it that many child prodigies end up failing in their areas of expertise? Or abandoning them for other activities and pursuits? So often, when children are taught at an early age that they are special, whether it be in the field of arts, academics, or athletics, they become prone to the idea of success and victory. Becoming accustomed to success may lead children to feel as though they deserve success, and due to this, lack motivation to continue putting effort into their area of ‘expertise’. One of the worst possible things to see in children is a slow regression into losing motivation to try. Effort and hard work are integral in helping kids grow into motivated and hard-working individuals, who do not give up easily, nor do they lose sight of their dreams.

The argument lies that success is more often than not fuelled by passion. Passion is hardly ever something that is taught or enforced through diligent practice and upbringing, but rather something that is discovered through curiosity and personal interest.

Copyright: bonzodog

Creativity isn’t something that can be forced onto children. There are no specific rules or tips to follow to ensure children focus on expanding their imagination and creativity. On the contrary, allowing your children to follow as little rules as possible will allow them to develop a wider imagination, and become more in-tune with their own creativity and mental capability. In an increasingly competitive world, being skilled in a particular field no longer guarantees a job or success; rather it’s creativity and ingenuity in otherwise regular fields of work that often yields great success.

The best way to foster creativity in children is to allow them to think for themselves. Children who are disciplined while encouraged to think for themselves and make decisions based on their own thoughts and interests tend to become more creative as adults. Freedom and individuality of the mind is integral, not just in developing characteristics, but in helping instil a sense of individuality and uniqueness in the child at an early age.  

This sense of individuality will not only help children find their own interests and passions at an earlier age, it will help them respond to life’s challenges and opportunities in their own unique way.

For example, some children may cope with stress or uncomfortable situations by expressing themselves artistically, through drawing or writing, and others may prefer athletic options. Allowing children to discover their own coping mechanisms and reactions to different types of situations at an early age is largely impacted by how rigidly their parents enforce their ideals upon them.

Copyright: ISchmidt

Step One: Back Off

There is also the argument that the more pressure a child faces to succeed, the less they will enjoy the activity at hand. Since enjoyment is integral in motivating the child to put forth effort and dedication to the activity, the more pressure they face, the less they will want to perform well in the activity, in turn veering them much off the course

Research has found that most children who grow up to be creative adults, from fields of music, art, athletics, even science, weren’t forced to follow strict rules and directions from their parents. Of course, rules and discipline are an important aspect of raising children, and should not be neglected, but they also shouldn’t be so diligently enforced by the parents that the child is left with no freethinking capacities at all.

If you want your children to bring original ideas into the world, you need to let them pursue their passions, not yours.

Everyone wants the best for their child: for them to succeed, be ambitious, and not give up easily. This desire for the wellbeing of one’s child may often overpower the consideration that a child, although a child, does have the ability to discover their own interests and passions. Even at an early age, children are incredibly curious and are constantly exploring different things and activities they have interests in.

Copyright: Jaromir Chalabala

It’s important to remember that you can’t force talent. You can encourage it when you see your child displaying interest, but forcing your child to excel in an area they hardly care about will only result in wasted efforts and money. The best possible course of action is to allow your children to explore their interests at their own pace, and encourage a sense of direction and commitment when they display interest in a specific field.

After all, children are children, and their malleable and easily influenced brains may easily pick up on their parents forced sense of direction, but such actions will only teach them to follow the path set by them, and rid them of developing a sense of control and leadership of their own life.

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In 2006, Ken Robinson delivered a TED talk that was viewed over 28 million times. In his popular lecture “How Schools Kill Creativity”, he argued that modern educational systems inhibited freedom of expression and creativity. These attitudes hailed from the 19^th century, when children were trained for specific vocations from an early age. However, according Robinson, “creativity is just as important as literacy” and the educational model needed to undergo fundamental changes.

In the past decade, schools have been held to strict guidelines for state and national exams. Educators are being evaluated based on their students’ SAT scores and placement tests, and the system is being conducted to prepare students for university enrolment. As a result, the number of university graduates has reached an all-time high, which has devalued degrees over time and made job-hunting difficult for alumni. In the process, many students with creative talents are being stifled and discouraged from using their natural gifts. Often, these students drop out of school, or graduate in six, rather than four years.

But not all schools followed this tradition. Many institutions implemented alternative educational methods in response to troubling statistics. The Brooklyn Free School does not have grades and allows students to design their own curriculum. Lately, several public schools in London have invested heavily in the arts; instead of standardized tests, students are required to submit creative writing pieces, graphic novels, and films. These mediums encourage pupils to become storytellers and innovators.   Young students can become proficient in math and complement their academic abilities with dance and drama courses. A recent article highlighted the work of an elementary school teacher in rural Mexico who helped his students excel in national exams. He was inspired by Albert Einstein who valued imagination over memorization. In past years, instructors at the school adhered to strict guidelines when teaching basic math skills. This teacher discovered that it was more beneficial to allow children to be intuitive and use their innate problem-solving abilities. After receiving the highest math score in the country, one student said that “no one had made it this interesting before.” In a society that overvalues marks, these schools elevate independence and experimentation.

Advances in technology also offer new learning opportunities for children.

Sugata Mitra, a computer scientist from India, discovered that children living in slums, with no formal education, were able to teach themselves how to use a computer. These newfound computer skills allowed the kids to grasp advanced topics such as physics and molecular biology. Access to the Internet also helps children transcend cultural barriers. With a mouse-click, students can learn about places, values, and customs that expand their horizons; can learn to ask questions and engage with challenging topics. However, providing students with technology is not a solution on its own. Educators need to create learning environments where students can develop proper research and computer skills. Technology can also become a distraction, therefore teachers are challenged to find the right balance between freedom and responsibility.

In the end, the key is to allow children to make mistakes. Ken Robinson stated:

If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will not come up with anything original.

The current educational model needs to become more fluid in order to inspire the next generation of designers, dancers, and mathematicians. Teachers and parents should encourage young students to take risks, ask questions, and challenge the status quo. The goal should not be to reward students with diplomas, but rather to cultivate them to be life-long learners.

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Parents are extremely influential as they are the ones who need to provide the environment for a child’s creativity to flow. It is up to parents to  spark their child’s creativity and encouraging curiosity.

Why creativity is important

Virginia Shiller, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and author, says:¹

http://www.rgbstock.com

In a society in which it seems many parents are focused on children developing skills as early and as fast as possible, the value of creativity can be ignored.

As parents, it is essential that children have the following experiences:²

• Downtime: Stress is a creativity killer so it is important that children take a break from constant homework and their busy lives to give their brains a chance to relax. This time could be used to nap, daydream, read or walk.
• Failure: Of course parents don’t want to see their children fail, but it is important for children to learn from these experiences. Research shows that when we fail, we learn more than when we succeed.
• Playtime: Letting children play with props and make up pretend stories is one of the best ways for a child’s creativity to grow.

How to raise creative children

The following are great steps to take in order to best raise a creative child. Some of the  steps may not be easy, but it is the duty of the parent to do the following for the sake of  the child:

• Let them make mistakes: This goes hand-in-hand with experiencing failure. Children who are afraid of failure are less likely to think creatively.
• Embrace a mess: Don’t let your need for a clean space take over when your child is in their creative element. The creative benefits are much better than the temporary mess.
• Be open-minded: Your child’s creative thinking may not be in line with yours, but that doesn’t make it wrong. Encourage your child to think independently and be flexible with their ideas.
• Give them space: Step back and let your child’s creativity flow free without you impeding on their creative zone. A child that feels he or she is under surveillance may be less likely to take risks, thus diminishing creativity.

For more ideas on how to welcome more creativity into your home, read these 52 Creative Ideas for 52 Weeks of Fun from Crayola.⁵

• 1 http://www.babyzone.com/kids/preparing-for-preschool/inspiring-creativity_73550
• 2 http://www.parenting.com/blogs/mom-congress/melissa-taylor/how-raise-creative-child
• 3 http://www.creativitypost.com/create/ten_suggestions_for_raising_creative_kids
• 4 http://www.crayola.com/for-educators/resources-landing/parents-and-teachers-as-partners-landing/creative-parenting.aspx
• 5 http://www.crayola.com/for-educators/resources-landing/parents-and-teachers-as-partners-landing/52-creative-weeks.aspx
• Featured image:  http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/mwMRpge/Children+playing

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His YouTube video ‘Changing Paradigms’ is a critique of education systems around the world and how our antiquated pedagogies are failing children and preventing them from achieving their potential. He also addresses an oft avoided question – why and how do we and should we educate our children? Rather than considering these questions, politicians often hide behind the adages of ‘raising standards’, ‘better results’ and ‘getting back to basics’.

Sir Ken Robinson particularly laments the ways in which education stifles and kills the creativity of our children.

“Creative Light Bulb With Happy Family Drawing” by KROMKRATHOG. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Why is creativity important?

Describing creativity as the “process of having original ideas that have value“, Sir Ken Robinson considers it imperative for our economic and cultural future. We live in uncertain and unpredictable times. As the global economy has shuddered and groaned over the last few years, the employment market has changed, in some ways unrecognisably. Not only can we not predict the shifting sands beneath us in the distant future, but we cannot envisage the near future either. Today’s children will need to find ever more creative, entrepreneurial and resilient ways of making a living and being world citizens.

Can creativity be improved?

According to a study by Breakpoint into divergent thinking (a way of seeing multiple answers to a problem), cited by Ken Robinson, 98% of the children tested (at kindergarten age) were geniuses. However, ten years later this had diminished to 10%. Whilst divergent thinking is not the same thing as creativity, Sir Ken Robinson considers divergent thinking as an ‘essential capacity’ for creativity. Surely education should improve our innate talents and skills? Do we not acquire new abilities and progress as we go through life? The intimation in the Changing Paradigms video is that education and standardised testing have a lot to answer for in stunting the development of creativity in our children. However, it does not have to decline with age.  Just like the use of a muscle, creativity is a skill that needs to be honed and practised.

How can you encourage creativity in your children?

“Missile On Constellation”. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

• Remember, the possibilities are endless. There are multiple answers. Dare to dream…
• Role-play and free play are both fantastic to open up the imagination. If your children are struggling to come up with ideas for this you may want some props. A sheet and some chairs can create a super tent for a scenario – treasure to seek, a valiant rescue to  exact, a mountain to conquer.
• Construction toys such as lego or building blocks without a set model to make. Leave it open ended. Perhaps the end result will be a cross between a helicopter and a boat which can only operate on the imaginary planet of Zog.
• Encourage risk taking and exploration. Not every exploration will result in a work of unparalleled ingenuity but this is the process of learning. Allow children to try mixing colours together to form that leaf shade of green and encourage them to reflect on how successful it was. How could it be improved? What other colours could you try? What would happen if…?
• Praise effort rather than an innate ability. Encourage the process rather than the end result.
• Ask open ended questions such as ‘What would happen if…?’ ‘How else could we solve this problem?’ ‘Tell me what might happen next?’ ‘Why do you think that?’
• Boost confidence. A child cannot maximise his or her creative potential if he/she doesn’t have the confidence to “have a go” or dare to think differently.
• Provide a creative environment which includes light and space as well as allowing children to independently choose and dictate their line of investigation. Let activities be messy in a set “area” and make sure that children help to clear up afterwards.
• Let children direct outings. Get them to choose a museum. Ask them what they would like to find out about and how they might do it. Scaffold independence and allow them to take the lead.

“Plastic Building Blocks”. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

References

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/55502/55502.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&noredirect=1

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Politicians regularly discuss and argue as to what knowledge is worthy of the curriculum and what they believe is absolutely imperative that our children must learn before they enter adulthood. This brings to mind those “empty vessels” sat before Mr Gradgrind in Dickens’ Hard Times just waiting to be filled to the brim with knowledge. Reform in the education system often comes back to this idea that it is the subject matter which should be changed, however, there is an increasingly popular approach to education which thinks differently and will be the subject of my blog post this week: The Reggio Emilia approach.

This approach to pre-school education is named after the town where it derived in Italy. Emerging from the Second World War, it was a community in turmoil. Loris Malaguzzi helped the citizens of the area build the schools and set in place a system of education which not only endures to this day but is considered one of the leading lights.

This context is very interesting because, in a community where everything needed rebuilding, their whole education system was built not in the image of the old model, but reflecting the needs of this broken society.

A revolutionary idea at the time, it put the child at the centre of their education and relied on high levels of participation and involvement from parents in their children’s education. Malaguzzi believed that children had not only the right TO education but the rights OVER  their own education, rights shared with parents and teachers and centred round the development of their skills, interests and talents. Malaguzzi even wrote a Bill of Three Rights spelling out the rights and responsibilities of children, teachers and parents: http://www.reggioalliance.org/downloads/v2.n1.rights.pdf

In 1991 “Newsweek” magazine included Reggio Emilia schools in their Top 10 school systems in the world.

So what is it that makes this approach so revered around the world?

• No other system though has quite such a degree of collaboration between child, parent and teacher.
• The heart of learning lies in creativity and uses the metaphor of the ‘one hundred languages’ of children to express their knowledge of the world, whether through dance, music or various artistic mediums.
• Subjects are not fenced off from each other. Maths skills as well as the fine motor skills required for writing can all be developed through projects embracing art or drama, gardening or music.
• Teachers and pupils learn together by following children’s interests often culminating in projects through which the “core” skills of literacy and numeracy are also included.
• Learning is about exploration and discovery, the use of the senses and the testing of theories. It is experimental in nature and taps into children’s innate curiosity.

You may notice that there are many similarities between this approach and the Montessori model of education I wrote about a few weeks ago. Where the two approaches differ is the extended use of the environment in the Reggio Emilia approach and its focus on creativity and imagination rather than the Montessori model of allowing children to trial adult tasks and roles. In an era where it seems that our societies need ever more creative approaches to uncertain economic times and shifting employment prospects, this is something which is being bred out of many schools through the pressure of conforming to standardised testing and uniformity. Surely we want to encourage and not dampen this important skill, and the Reggio Emilia approach aims to do just that.

What are the downsides?

Just as with many of these specific pre-school models of education, they are costly and therefore dependent on parents being able to stump up the cash.

Without state or public education adopting these approaches, they will never be available for all children to benefit from.

In addition, as with the Forest Schools I wrote about last week, many pre-schools are using the label of Reggio Emilia with varying levels of commitment to its principles and varying amounts of training in delivering them.

This also requires a large commitment from parents to take real ownership of their child’s education alongside the teachers and the children themselves, which is something not all parents might feel able to give alongside demanding jobs and schedules of their own.

As with all these models of education, once again it comes down to what works best for the child and in this case for the parents of that child too. I do feel though that, whether or not it is the right approach for you and your family, there are certainly things we can learn from its principals and apply in the family environment, not least a commitment to developing and encouraging our children’s creativity.

Photo: http://www.freeimages.co.uk

How can you bring some of the elements of the Reggio Emilia approach to your home?

• What has your child been wondering about? What have they shown an interest it? This can be your provocation for an inquiry.
• What does your child already know or think they know about this subject area? Ask lots of questions and at this stage there are no wrong answers. Children can show what they think they know about a subject area through play or art as well as with verbalised answers.
• Take notes to help you plan and document their progress in understanding
• Now that you know what they want to know and what they already know you can plan your activity. This activity might be different for every child depending on how they like to work.

Here are a few ideas:

• Observations, perhaps of living creatures.
• Sensory explorations, perhaps using play dough or finger painting or natural materials such as sand.
• An observational painting or drawing activity using mirrors to observe items from all angles.
• Discovery activities such as nature walks using a magnifying glass.
• Exploring a new material such as how different objects behave in water, whether they sink or float.
• Use sound and musical instruments to show and recreate different moods and feelings in a story.

Remember that Reggio Emilia projects can take place over several weeks which gives you the chance to approach one subject in many different ways and for children to gain a deep and meaningful understanding of the topic.

Do you have any experiences of the Reggio Emilia approach to early year’s education? What have you found? What do you do to encourage your child’s creativity?

Earlier in this blog post I mentioned the ‘hundred languages’ of children. Please follow this link to a YouTube video which shows an illustrated version of the poem written by Reggio Emilia’s founder Loris Malaguzzi. What do we want out of education and what do we not want? Let them be children to create, explore and discover. Let us not allow them to become disengaged, demotivated and distant from the opportunities that education should open up to them.

References:

http://www.chevychasereggio.com/reggio%20emilia%20approach.htm
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=367
http://www.aneverydaystory.com/

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