As Maya Angelou so wisely stated, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” One of the central joys of being a child is exercising your creative powers. The sky’s the limit for what your dreams can conjure. With each generation, these imaginative children become adults that defy expectations and norms with dreams that they make real. Creative children grow to be creative adults, putting mankind on the moon, inventing new devices that change the way we live, delving into the arts to reach our heart and soul, and so much more.
Characteristics of Creative Children
What defines highly creative children? There are 10 traits that psychoanalysts look for when identifying a creative child.
Different thinking patterns
- Children that think outside the box are thought of as highly creative.
Potential for creative tasks
- Creative children can produce various projects and products that reinforce creative thinking, whether it be via art, building, drama or any other form of creative expression.
Make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas
- Creative children spontaneously build bridges between different abstractions, such as a character in a book and a similar person in real life.
Multiple ideas for solutions to a problem
- Creative children not only contemplate different ideas but also determine which would be the most preferred after mentally listing and evaluating the relevant factors.
Tendency to imagine and daydream
- Focus is great, but letting the mind wander and explore is an important piece of creative thinking.
Enjoy improving and modifying ideas and plans
- Not only do creative children generate ideas, but they also modify and improve those of others.
Keen sense of humor
- Keep laughing. Finding humor in situations is tied to a greater ability to tap into your creative juices.
Wonder and ask questions
- Children with highly developed creative skills often focus on how and why things occur.
Works persistently to achieve personal goals
- Not only do creative children come up with tasks they’d like to accomplish, they consider the means they’ll need to achieve their goals.
Maintains focus to complete tasks
- Researchers note that children become wholly preoccupied when working on their goals.
Nurturing Creativity
While creativity in children is as innate as sunshine, it is also a skill that can be nurtured. Surrounding children with a creative environment is a surefire way to fast-track their path to success. Spark their creativity with these best practices.
- Listen to and cultivate their ideas and interests
- Ask open-ended questions
- Encourage persistence and grit
- Focus on process rather than product
- Let them dream often and dream big
- Laugh!
Teetot nurtures creative children through one of the best ways to power their imagination: Dress up play! Creative role-play kicks into high gear with exciting costumes from Teetot. They stretch the imagination, hone creativity and nurture all the positive benefits that go along with it. Teetot’s passion to foster creativity in children is what drives them to create an ever-growing line of top-notch costumes for girls and boys. For more information, visit Teetot online.