CREATIVITY & IT'S BENEFITS

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

Creativity is the ability to develop ideas and generate solutions. Naturally we all have the impulse to create or the need to experience and learn new things. Starting from early childhood we can identify the first symptoms of creativity.
Children are born with a great deal of curiosity and a need to discover the world around them, it is innate in them the ability to observe carefully, admire and be amazed, to enjoy small things. Children love to experiment, to try and try even if it means making mistakes, even if it demands repetition until they achieve their small (Not so small) triumphs...
We, adults are responsible of planning and organizing their days with activities, over-stimulation, hyper-connectivity and competitiveness, we begin (without realizing it) to isolate them from their creative abilities and to truncate their socio-emotional capacities. Why do we do it? It's usually because of laziness.... we do not want to leave our comfort zone, we do not want to leave our Tablet, phone, or favorite program, we do not want to be distracted from our routines or conversations, we do not want noise, clutter or having to clean more than we are used to ...  conclusion we do not want to play with them or let them be children, that’s why we want to keep them busy and distracted.
If we think with total honesty, The word “NO”  is the most common response that usually parents give to a child's request. We must be more creative and stop being lazy. (Sometimes is mental laziness, and other times physical laziness), our challenge is thinking twice before saying NO, ask ourselves Why do I want to answer NO? What would be the consequence of saying yes?, or how could we give a positive answer, even it demands some fine tuning and adjusting their request?
Creativity is preserved and nurtured at home, we as parents are the ones who must encourage creativity in our children. Many children do not develop their inventive skills because parents do not pay enough attention to their empowerment, because we restrict their ideas or do not allow them to make decisions. Because we prefer to distract them with a Tablet, a phone and TV rather than letting them explore their creative power. To develop creativity boredom, silence or contemplation are igniters. 
This is call for all of us parents to return to our childhood and try to revive our own creativity so we can encourage and boost our children’s creative skills: Question yourself  "If I was a five year old kid, what would I like to do? 
BENEFITS OF CREATIVITY FOR CHILDREN
1.    Encourages Critical Thinking
2.    Gives a better understanding of trying and failing
3.    Encourages Decision making, and empowers them to face challenges, and generate solutions
4.    Develops socio-emotional skills
5.    Encourages communication
6.    Develops Self-esteem:
7.    Boosts self-confidence
8.    Promotes expression and communication.
9.    Social awareness, recognize themselves and identify and communicate their emotions as well as empathize with others.
10.Be receptive to a wide variety of social relationships.
11.Build resilience
12.Encourages integrity.
TECHNIQUES TO PROMOTE THE CREATIVITY 
To ensure that children are encouraged to think on their own and to impulse their creative ideas:
1. It is essential to create a safe environment where trust and confidence gives children a space to express and communicate with freedom, where they can present their own ideas and opinions without fear.
2. Play is fundamental. Take time to play with your child. Through play, the imagination is stimulated and emotions flow. It is important to put yourself at their level, do nonsense, laugh and experiment together.
3. Work as a team with your child, raise common problems to generate solutions together.
4. Allow children to make mistakes. It is necessary for children to make mistakes and fail, it is valid to make mistakes, this will allow them to build new learning.
5. Encourage their interests and their curiosity