Nurturing Creativity in Your Child
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2025 8:12 am
Most of us have an instinct to fit in. In fact, parents and teachers rely on children's desire to conform to societal norms for good behavior and orderliness. As adults, these people often have difficulty being creative because they've stifled that instinct or ability for so long.
Children who don't conform are in some ways outcast, whether by gentle teasing, harsh ridicule or lack of self-esteem. They may be painfully aware of their differences. Other children, particularly those whose families nurture and value creativity, continue to develop their creative potential. Cast by some as misfits, these children don't "fit in" precisely because they value artistic self-expression and feel comfortable "in their own skin" without trying to conform.
Looking with Fresh Eyes
Many children are more creative than adults. They look at things with fresh eyes and a perspective untainted by everyone else's opinion. They use language in an interesting way, coming up with constru cts, ideas and interpretations because they approach a subject through their own experience and with limitless imagination.
As adults, we tend to operate from a place of context and security. We develop expertise in what we know; it's our comfort zone. Those who are more creative operate outside of the comfort zone, or the traditional way to interpret the world around us. That's why creative people don't always "fit in" - they operate outside norms and expectations.
So how do we recognize and develop creativity in our youth, especially if they're more creative than we are? To start, it's helpful to better understand creativity by breaking it down into distinct abilities, so it's not such a mystery. Creativity requires a balance of synthetic or associative ability, analytical ability and practical ability.
Associative Ability
Creativity requires that a person come up with unique ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. This person may have good associative powers of thinking that allow her to create connections between otherwise disparate things. She synthesizes information in a different way. The end result could take any number of forms: a scientific hypothesis, a piece of art, a musical composition or an unusual application of a theory, helping to advance how we understand the world.
This synthesis of thought may have detractors. Think of Copernicus' theory that the sun, not the Earth, was the center of the universe. Galileo was convicted of heresy for believing in this radical theory and espousing that the Earth was indeed round and turned on an axis.
Indeed, defensiveness against others' viewpoints, or a phone number data of openness, crushes creativity. So it's important to teach teens to respect and learn from others, and imagine someone else's point of view. This is the seed of creative collaboration; it broadens us as individuals and creates an environment that fosters tolerance and appreciation of differences.
Analytical Ability
Surprisingly, creative people also tend to have an ability to analyze. They can separate out different elements and discern which has the most potential for development. They can apply an analytical framework to their work; for example, a writer may think about what he has written and break it down into three acts, identifying critical points such as the climax, in the storyline. Analysis is a tool for deciding what's next and which idea has the most potential.
Practical Ability
Successful creative people also have practical ability. If they are ever to share their work with others or find an audience, they need to understand how to bring it to people. Someone may have the inkling of a great idea, but there's a certain amount of creative ability required to understand how to take an idea in their head and bring it to the canvas or the store shelf, or turn it into a song that others are likely to hear.
Children who don't conform are in some ways outcast, whether by gentle teasing, harsh ridicule or lack of self-esteem. They may be painfully aware of their differences. Other children, particularly those whose families nurture and value creativity, continue to develop their creative potential. Cast by some as misfits, these children don't "fit in" precisely because they value artistic self-expression and feel comfortable "in their own skin" without trying to conform.
Looking with Fresh Eyes
Many children are more creative than adults. They look at things with fresh eyes and a perspective untainted by everyone else's opinion. They use language in an interesting way, coming up with constru cts, ideas and interpretations because they approach a subject through their own experience and with limitless imagination.
As adults, we tend to operate from a place of context and security. We develop expertise in what we know; it's our comfort zone. Those who are more creative operate outside of the comfort zone, or the traditional way to interpret the world around us. That's why creative people don't always "fit in" - they operate outside norms and expectations.
So how do we recognize and develop creativity in our youth, especially if they're more creative than we are? To start, it's helpful to better understand creativity by breaking it down into distinct abilities, so it's not such a mystery. Creativity requires a balance of synthetic or associative ability, analytical ability and practical ability.
Associative Ability
Creativity requires that a person come up with unique ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. This person may have good associative powers of thinking that allow her to create connections between otherwise disparate things. She synthesizes information in a different way. The end result could take any number of forms: a scientific hypothesis, a piece of art, a musical composition or an unusual application of a theory, helping to advance how we understand the world.
This synthesis of thought may have detractors. Think of Copernicus' theory that the sun, not the Earth, was the center of the universe. Galileo was convicted of heresy for believing in this radical theory and espousing that the Earth was indeed round and turned on an axis.
Indeed, defensiveness against others' viewpoints, or a phone number data of openness, crushes creativity. So it's important to teach teens to respect and learn from others, and imagine someone else's point of view. This is the seed of creative collaboration; it broadens us as individuals and creates an environment that fosters tolerance and appreciation of differences.
Analytical Ability
Surprisingly, creative people also tend to have an ability to analyze. They can separate out different elements and discern which has the most potential for development. They can apply an analytical framework to their work; for example, a writer may think about what he has written and break it down into three acts, identifying critical points such as the climax, in the storyline. Analysis is a tool for deciding what's next and which idea has the most potential.
Practical Ability
Successful creative people also have practical ability. If they are ever to share their work with others or find an audience, they need to understand how to bring it to people. Someone may have the inkling of a great idea, but there's a certain amount of creative ability required to understand how to take an idea in their head and bring it to the canvas or the store shelf, or turn it into a song that others are likely to hear.