Developing Creativity in Children

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” –Albert Einstein

Creativity plays an integral role in developing a child’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. Creativity includes a number of components such as imagination, originality, productivity, and problem solving. Creativity is different than the traditional definition of intelligence (i.e., children who score high on intelligence tests are not necessarily highly creative). All children are born with creative potential, and fortunately it can be developed at any time during one’s lifespan.

However, nurturing children’s creativity from a young age will benefit them for years to come, helping build confidence and a better understanding of their surroundings. Developing a childhood interest has been strongly correlated to adult creative achievement. This is essential for developing practical skills that are crucial later in life such as in the workplace. Employers are interested in people who are adaptable, innovative, can solve problems and communicate well with others.

There are many ways to promote creativity in children, but here are a few that I find particularly helpful:
• Foster a Creative Environment: this can range from art projects, playing in the yard, using a wide variety of toys, asking open-ended questions, games, playing with colors, music, exploring nature, reading books and playing puzzles. (Note: Please read my blog posting on July 9, 2010 for a greater understanding of the role of play in childhood development).
• Be a Positive Role Model: don’t tell children what to do, show them what to do.
• Allow Time: it is hard to be creative when you are in a rush. Slow down.
• Build Self-Efficacy in Your Children: let your children do things on their own and give them choices rather than making decisions for them. Let them make mistakes, and respect their ideas. Resist the urge to accomplish tasks for your children. Children who believe in themselves and their abilities tend not to give in to peer pressure and are more confident in making their own decisions. Encouragement and support are critical.
• Let Your Children Ask “Why” Questions: we all can get easily irritated when asked this question numerous times, and frustration and time constraints may lead us to say “I don’t know” or “Don’t ask stupid questions.” This mode of responding may inhibit children from asking questions in the future, resulting in them being less creative and inquisitive.

Please feel free to share any tips that you have on developing creativity in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Please visit the following website for further information on developing creativity in children:

http://www.creativityinstitute.com/developingcreativityinchildren.aspx

A Solution for Allergy-Free Cooking

As a follow-up to the Coping With Food Allergies postings written by registered dietician Kelly Harrington, MS, RD, today’s blog posting is highlighting the Allergy-Free For Me Cookbook iPhone application released by my child development company, iMomConnect, LLC. The app was featured on Apple’s New and Noteworthy List for Lifestyle apps and can be purchased on iTunes for $1.99 (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/allergy-free-for-me-cookbook/id415274206?mt=8). With this cookbook app, families can create a profile for each person’s specific allergies and obtain customized recipes for their family members. The recipes take into account the top 8 food allergens: Milk, Egg, Peanut, Tree Nut, Fish, Shellfish, Wheat and Soy. The app is endorsed by Kelly Harrington, MS, RD who provides the nutritional information for all of the recipes.

Overall Highlights of the Cookbook Application:
- No substitutions needed! Every recipe is customized for your family member’s specific allergies
- Obtain customized recipes which meet the needs of all the people in your household with allergies in the Favorites section under “Combo”
- Endorsement and nutrition facts provided for all recipes by a Registered Dietician
- Unlimited number of children may be profiled in the app
- Search by Keyword, Ingredient, Food Type or Ready In
- Detailed pictures of each recipe and offline access to the app
- The app will be updated periodically with new recipes
- Allergy-free product recommendations for top brands are listed in your Shop List under “Products”
- Contains healthy, low-sugar, eclectic recipes for the whole family to enjoy

The inspiration for this cookbook came from our own family members who have food allergies. During the course of making our recipes and after speaking to mothers of children with allergies, we have compiled a thoughtful list of allergy-free product recommendations. These products are also useful for mothers looking for readymade foods for on-the-go families! Please visit the following company websites for Allergy-Free products that are great for families with food allergies:

Allerrific
Applegate Farms
Attune Foods
Bakery on Main
Bumble Bar
Foods Alive
Green Valley Organics
HomeFree
The Peanut Butter Substitute
Peanut Free Planet
Sweet Alexis
YummyEarth
ZenSoy

An excerpt from the iMomConnect Press Release:

Just because a member of your family has a food allergy, it does not mean you have to make a separate meal! “Our cookbook app offers creative and delicious solutions for parents who have children who are picky eaters and have food allergies,” said Rupa Tak, Founder, iMomConnect, LLC. “The recipes are healthy, low-sugar, tasty dishes for the entire family to enjoy because they are eclectic, flavorful and taste-tested by adults and children. The cookbook also has a variety of vegetarian and vegan recipes available,” said Kelly Harrington, Registered Dietician.

That’s Me! Building Self-Awareness in Toddlers

A major development that occurs during toddlerhood is increased self-awareness and awareness of other people. Toddlers become aware that their own behaviors and intentions are different from others. Self-awareness is related to cognitive advancements such as mental representational capacity and can be seen in their reaction to their own reflection in a mirror as well as their use of the word “I.”

As discussed in prior blog postings, infants experience primary emotions such as anger, fear and joy. In toddlerhood, children can endure higher levels of emotional arousal and begin to feel emotions such as embarrassment, shame (i.e., feels exposed, vulnerable or bad), and positive self-evaluation (a precursor to pride). These emotions are secondary emotions and require a sense of self.

The “rouge” test is one that parents can do at home to test their child’s sense of self-awareness. This tests self-recognition to indicate whether or not a child recognizes his or her reflection in a mirror. By 18 months of age, 50% of children can recognize themselves in the mirror and by 24 months of age, 65% of children have this ability. A red dot of rouge or lipstick is placed somewhere on the child’s face, typically the nose. If a child attempts to touch her nose to wipe off the red dot while looking in the mirror, self-recognition is indicated.

Before 18 months of age, children typically don’t recognize themselves in the mirror. They stare at their reflections and may recognize the image as a sibling or someone else familiar to them. They do not react to the red dots on their faces. By 24 months of age, most children will touch or wipe their noses, reaching a new level of self-awareness. The connection between self-awareness and embarrassment is also apparent with the rouge test. While the red dot is still on their faces, if overly complimented or pointed at by others, many children will act embarrassed by acting bashful. Just being the object of others’ attention will induce embarrassment in a toddler.

There are some tips that parents can follow with their toddlers while assisting them with the development of these new emotions. First, recognize and praise these new emotions as they become apparent. Second, as your child experiences varying levels of these emotions, help your child by naming the emotions and teaching appropriate ways of coping with them. Third, enjoy this time with your child by sharing new experiences and new emotions. It is a great opportunity for you to form a closer bond with your child.

For a YouTube video demonstration of the Rouge Test, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lAMzzrjTq0&feature=related