“We are all creative, but by the time we are three or four years old, someone has knocked the creativity out of us. Some people shut up the kids who start to tell stories. Kids dance in their cribs, but someone will insist they sit still. By the time the creative people are ten or twelve, they want to be like everyone else.” — Maya Angelou.
We want our kids to excel in everything they do. This is partly down to the media, which has fostered the idea of celebrity kids and football leagues that encourage kids to become professional athletes at the age of eight or younger.
However, we have missed the most crucial thing in their education – and that is to build their character through everyday creative activities which encourage the formation of human connections.
Moving from kindergarten to elementary school
Consider how nervous a first grader must feel after leaving the safe kindergarten playground and entering a strange new 'grown-up' world. The playgrounds are bigger, the kids are older, they have to line up to buy their first meal at the school cafeteria. The classroom has changed too: the desks look different, the books are bigger, and there are new challenges too.
Some are thrilled to feel part of the older kids’ environment. Others, of course, are frightened and insecure. They have to understand and accept all the new rules and regulations, which now apply to them too.
High expectations from parents must be met
We also have moms, dads and caregivers worried for their little ones. They have high hopes for them. They want their children to become successful learners, multi-medal athletes, excellent readers, mathematicians or perhaps scientists…
Professor David Healy, director of the North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine, said: “We want kids to conform to ideals based often on parental insecurities and ambitions.”
Elementary school has therefore become something resembling a battlefield, where children must thrive in spite of (and not because of) their interests. Only top grades and excellence in everything will make parents proud.
But what if a child is not successful? What if their reading skills are below average? What if their daydreaming about a trip to the moon doesn’t allow them to concentrate?
Then we have two lists of kids, the thriving kids with excellent grades and the other ones.
So how can we take the pressure off and help all kids to thrive? Here are some simple creative activities to help.
Reaching out to your students with a simple hello
When did we forget that education is about promoting playfulness, imagination, and creativity to build up confidence?
My very first and most important recommendation would be this:
Before you start a class, give yourself a moment to say "Hello" to each individual in your class. Take that moment to make eye contact with every student and see how they are doing that day.
Make this an important part of your routine. Then have them do the same with their classmates. You could even introduce phrases such as:
- "How was your day yesterday?"
- "How are you feeling today?"
- "What did you have for breakfast this morning?"
- "I notice you look nice today!"
You can also try another creative activity. Ask your students to say good morning to the new day and think of something they are grateful for or someone they are grateful to. For example:
- "Thank you mom, for my breakfast."
- "I am grateful because all my classmates are here."
- "Thank you moon, for your light every night."
These are just a few simple creative activities. But the most important thing to consider, if you want to introduce creativity in the classroom, is that every student needs to feel in a secure and welcoming environment, free of criticism or judgment of their ideas. If you achieve this in your classroom, you will be well on your way to exploring your students’ creativity and building new connections with them.
