Nurturing the child's creativity
Anandalakshmy, S.
Iccw News Bulletin 39(3-4): 45-47
1991
PMID: 12317288 Document Number: 318243
A much neglected but vital aspect of a child's development, creativity; needs to be vigorously promoted. India's child survival strategy has focused on immunization, oral rehydration, education, and limiting family size. No policy exists, however, that seeks to nurture a child's curiosity, joy and hopefulness. Many people place art and science in separate realms, not realizing that both depend on the unhindered flow of imagination. India's educational system emphasizes practical and utilitarian knowledge. This systems stresses the accumulation of information, academic performance, and competition. A child acquired value according to how well he or she performs in an exam, a fact that can have only a negative impact on the child's psyche. At home, parents push a child to achieve results, discouraging curiosity in the process. All of these tendencies serve to stifle the creative impulses of the child, making him or her apathetic or frustrated. Society needs to recognize that every child is a gifted child, one who has the inalienable right to explore, seek information, and use his or her imagination. Parents, schools, and the country as a whole need to foster such creativity. Stories, songs, poems, parables--all of these can stimulate a child's imagination. Parents should encourage a child to read for fun, and should help the child differentiate between good literature and mediocre writing, between the aesthetic and the gaudy. Parents should invite children to talk about their feelings and thoughts and should share their own.