Monday, December 7, 2009

Teaching Creativity

We all want our children to be strong and flexible, to be open to new ideas and able to think for themselves. One way to accomplish this goal is to encourage creative thought. Creativity, it turns out, can be taught. Most people believe some special souls are endowed with a magical capability to see things in a new way and produce inventive solutions to problems. But that goes against what the Bible tells about how we were created.

We know Genesis 1:27 tells us God created man is His own image. The Lord’s first act recorded in Scripture is creating. We carry a bit of the character of God in us. Why would creativity be left out? We and our children were born with a capacity seeing the world with new eyes. We just have to be open to new possibilities.

What are the benefits for our children? There are so many more than just being able to paint or write, although those things in themselves would be worth the effort. Creativity is so much more. Decorating a home on a newlywed’s budget. Planning a party. Coming up with a solution for a company’s lagging sales. Devising a program to meet the needs of single moms so they can experience the love of Christ. The list is literally as long as God will allow.

Being home with our children every day without the constraints of a state-run curriculum, we have an incredible opportunity to encourage and train them to think creatively. It is one of the most exciting inherent benefits of homeschooling.

Check in on Wednesday for some fun ideas to encourage and teach creative thought to your little minds—and to preserve the creativity they were born with.

2 comments:

  1. I love this! Be sure to come back on Wednesday for specific tips! Shelly has enriched my life with her teaching on creativity!

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  2. I am always inspired by Shelly's ideas!

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