Dramatic Activities For A Creative Child
Research that creativity scores in American schools have been declining over the last two decades are a worrying sign.(1) Fortunately there are many activities that can help develop your child’s creative impulses. These exercises are also very bonding for you and your child. Here are some tips that can assist in nurturing the skills and confidence that brings forth creativity in children (They also work for adults!). I will write more of these articles in the coming weeks on this subject. Today we will focus on dramatic themes, so get your disco boots on mum and dad!
“A child’s mind is not a container to be filled but rather a fire to be kindled.” — Dorothea Brande
Reenact Fairy Tales: After you have read an engaging story to your child ask them to help you act it out. Tap into your child’s imagination by dressing up and going on magical expeditions. Ask them how else the story could have ended. What if…happened? Bring them into the act of story telling. We will develop this further in the next exercise. There is also no reason why the dressing up clothes should be packed away at the end of the play session. Research shows that children aged 4 to 6 are more focused when dressed as Batman! (2)
Write Your Own Fairy Tale: Following on from your reenactment. What ideas came up? Use some to create your own story. Can you use friends and family members as part of the cast? Some questions you could ask your child:
Who is the hero and who is the bad guy?
What does the hero need and why is the bad guy trying to stop him?
What adventure does your hero need to go on to find what he needs?
How does the hero overcome the bad guy in a dramatic climax?
What happens at the end?
Enabling your child to think in this way is not only entertaining for them but great in developing creative thinking, empathy and problem solving skills. There has been some good research into the power of reading stories to your children. Research carried out by Cambridge University found that: (3)
“reading fiction provides an excellent training for young people in developing and practising empathy and theory of mind, that is, understanding of how other people feel and think.” — Maria Nikolajeva
If music be the food of love: Music is a vital part of out lives. Its capacity to trigger creativity is just one of its many benefits. Melody and harmony are tools that can capture your child’s imagination and make it run wild.
Have a dance party for twenty minutes everyday.
Create dance routines.
Encourage her to learn an instrument.
Encourage her to create her own songs.
If the noise is a problem then create your own silent disco. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin suggests music stimulates creativity by how it effects the limbic system. The immersive effects of music activate our imagination and our capacity for new ideas. (4) I will be back soon with some more ideas for stimulating creativity in children (and by proxy their parents!).
You can read my other articles on creativity here:
How To Develop Your Creative Thinking
The Secret To Magical New Ideas
How To Develop Creative Receptivity
(1) ‘The Creativity Crisis: The Decrease in Creative
Thinking Scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative
Thinking.’ Kyung Hee Kim. 2011
(2)The ‘Batman Effect’: Improving Perseverance in Young Children
Authors Rachel E. White Et Al. 2016
(3) ‘Did you Feel as if you Hated People?’: Emotional Literacy Through Fiction. Authors Maria Nikolajeva. 2013
(4) This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. New York: Plume/Penguin, Levitin, Daniel J. 2007
