Creative Play for Toddlers and its Effects to Growth and Development

June 26, 2010 - PRLog -- Creativity is defined as the capacity to come up with various innovative ideas, artworks, perform basic problem solving skills and create unique thoughts based on one’s own personal approach. Many people associate creativity with intelligence but many people should understand that these are two are separate characteristics which are both essential to an individual’s growth and development.
Children are naturally creative and inquisitive when it comes to the environment and people they constantly encounter. They tend to ask too many questions and come up with strange ideas that most adults fail to understand and acknowledge. Parents must be fully equipped with adequate patience and consideration when it comes to dealing with their toddler’s wild imagination to be able to provide them with appropriate suggestions and answers to their never-ending questions.
Creative play for toddlers is highly recommended for children ages 18 months to four years. At this stage, toddlers have improved hand and eye coordination. They are able to express their individuality through pasting, tearing, cutting, printing, modeling clay and working with any materials to create collages and artworks. Parents should be very patient in supervising their kids with their creative activities and allow them the opportunity to develop their skills and coordination using art materials like water-based paints, chalk and crayons.
At the age of one year onwards, toddlers love to imitate activities that most adults do and they begin to identify themselves with pretend plays which is also one way in expressing one’s creativity and imagination. Research shows that children that are very active when it comes to pretend plays are proven to be more spontaneous, original and can easily adapt to new situations presented to them. Parents should encourage their children to be involved in creative play by lending them materials like dressing-up clothes, dolls and pretend toys that will allow them to learn and enjoy their very own make believe fantasy.
Each child has his own unique idea and personality that constantly needs encouragement and support from their parents or significant others. Most children, at this point of development, rely on other people’s approval and appreciation in order to gratify themselves with the feeling of self sufficiency and autonomy. The idea of creative play develops a more independent individual and tends to make them less susceptible to peer pressure as they grow up. They become more outspoken and confident when it comes to their own ideas and opinions that will eventually give them the opportunity to achieve their optimum level of mental and emotional development.

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