Creative Child May 2021 | Page 29

Creativity is beneficial to every one of us . It allows us to view and solve problems , enables us to be innovative and have new ideas , inspires us to live fully , relieves stress , and supports resilience . As Jane Fulton Suri says , “ Creativity is at the core of being human .” It is an important element for success in adulthood and a vital component to the healthy development of a child . When one thinks of creativity , what often comes to mind is art in all its various forms - an interesting painting , a beautiful piece of music , an innovative dance routine , a riveting novel , or a breathtaking sculpture . Yet , artists are not the only people who hold , value , and use creativity . We all have the potential for creativity , and it can be found anywhere - from a PowerPoint presentation to a homemade meal to an invention that improves our daily lives . Pointedly , creativity is always found wherever there is a child pretending . Creativity begins in childhood , and perhaps this is there where it can best be observed , studied , and understood . Researchers in creativity and child development have identified various cognitive abilities that are especially important for creativity , such as divergent thinking , insight , cognitive flexibility , broad associative skills , and perspective taking , and have observed that many of these also characterize pretend play . Pretend play gives children opportunities to express many different processes important to creativity , including :
• Affective processes which include all positive and negative feelings and responses .
• Cognitive processes such as sensation , attention perception , language use , memory , reasoning , and decision making . Interpersonal processes which is the interplay of cognitive , motivational , and behavioral activities in social interaction .
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