Showing posts with label creative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creative. Show all posts

Friday, March 21, 2008

The Magic Of Music, Toy Pianos, And Other Instruments

How we want to develop our children creativity? Most of us didn't know that we can develop through music. Here are some tips to all parent with young kids. I can be useful...

Music enchants children. Its magic reaches out to them even inside the womb. During the later parts of infancy, they almost always instinctively sway, bounce, or move their heads to its beat. Toddlers garble out nursery songs they hardly understand long before they can read, write, or talk coherently. And as they grow older, they learn how to make up songs.

As much as they love to listen, children love to create music. Whether it’s singing off-key, banging a rattle against the wall, or pounding on a toy piano, nothing can stop them from trying to imitate the different sounds of music.

Self-expression through music should be encouraged so kids may increase appreciation for it as they grow older. A way to do this is to provide musical instruments such as a tambourine or a toy piano. It’s also a good idea to play nursery songs in the background while a child is playing or drawing.

Musical Effects

Helping kids hold on to and increase their fondness of music will not only result in discovering talents. It will also bring positive effects to their well-being. Here are some key benefits that music can bring to children:

- Music encourages children to be more expressive. They can bang on their little drums when they’re mad or they can stroke the keys of their toy piano cheerfully when they’re happy.

- Music promotes self-esteem. When children realize that they can handle a musical instrument, sing a song aloud, or sway with the beat, they’ll feel proud of themselves and their abilities.

- Music gives knowledge. Constant exposure to music such as folk songs, praise music and nursery rhymes will make it easy for a child to understand values and feelings even before they begin to go to school. Parents should be ready to give answers when their children want song lyrics to be explained.

- Music inspires creativity. Because of what they hear, children may get inspired to explore other forms of art such as drawing or painting to further give life to a song. They may illustrate the complete cast of Old McDonald’s Farm or show how the Big Rock Candy Mountains appear in their minds. Because of the early exposure to a kid’s harp or a toy piano, a child may be motivated to write songs or compose music early on in life.

- Music develops communication skills. Getting better at the toy piano entails the same skills needed to learn how to read. Musical lyrics may help increase a child’s vocabulary. New ideas are learned through a song’s story line and kids can get better at articulating these ideas.

- Music helps children achieve goals. With the intent to master an instrument, a child learns the concept of staying focused to attain an objective. At an early age, they are already equipped with values that can help them become successful grown-ups.

But just like any other recreational means, music should not be imposed on your children. Teaching a child how to play a musical instrument or having him take part in voice lessons should not result in tantrums every time a session starts. Your child should love and enjoy musical activities in order for music to have a positive effect in your child’s life.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Educational Toys: Making Kids Smart By Having Fun

Toys? Can the kids have the benefit of toys? We as the parents should responsible on type of toys that we want to buy to our kids. We should choose the educational toys so our kids having the benefit of it.

Kids are like sponges. They absorb. But the similarity ends there. While sponges absorb, they shrink and disintegrate before long. Kids, on the other hand, soak up day to day experiences and when the right mindsets are instilled, they continually thrive. That’s why it’s important for parents like you to carefully select the toys they play with. Associating fun and play with learning is a fundamental aspect of every child’s growth. And one of the best ways to make this happen is through educational toys.

It All Starts at Home

The home front is crucial to a child’s development. This is where curiosity is first explored. This is where a child learns about colors, shapes, and sounds, what Yes and No mean, and that asking “why” can almost always generate an explanation. The first lessons brought about by childhood generally come from the people around the household. That’s why all activities of your kid should be carefully selected. The right books, appropriate TV programs, and educational toys can supplement and enhance your child’s learning process, making the early stages of learning easier and enjoyable.

Lessons of Playtime

Playing is every child’s first priority. Playtime may only seem to provide pure entertainment, but it is also an integral part of your child’s mental and emotional growth. While it’s good to provide children opportunities for skill formation, such as music or art classes, it’s also ideal to give them ample time to play. Doing so, would provide the following benefits:

- Personality development
- Awareness of their potentials
- Promote independent thinking
- An avenue for creative thinking and problem solving
- Improvement their motor skills
- Enhance their ability to think and communicate
- Value-formation

Guidance is essential to bring out the best in children. But it doesn’t mean that you should totally organize the whole experience for your child. The important thing is to provide supervision and the appropriate tools for play and let your child take it from there.

Toys that Fit

Giving your child high-quality educational toys will liven up and enhance the process of sensory and learning development. The right toys for the right age needs to be considered too. A rattle wouldn’t capture the interest a five-year-old kid. Here’s a quick guide on what educational toys children may enjoy at a certain age:

Infants – The keywords are soft, safe, and colorful. Vividly colored rattles and squeaky toys will stimulate their sense of touch, sight, and hearing.

1 to 2 years – This is a stage where children start learning how to maneuver the things in their hands. They are also beginning to discover that some things are paired together. Toddlers will enjoy building blocks and toys that will allow them to identify and match shapes.

2 to 3 years – Children are beginning to get more creative at this age. They like role playing with other kids or by themselves. Puzzles, Play Cubes, and educational toys that stir their imagination are the best options.

4 to 5 years – Kids are into creative thinking and decision-making by this age. Educational toys that can help enhance these developments include puzzle games and constructions toys.

As children grow older, they become more independent in their choices of what toys to play with. They usually forego free play for games that involve rules and friends. They learn to be competitive. This is the time where parents’ guidance is most crucial. But if you’ve established the foundation by providing your child with educational toys early on, then you may have a child who’s well-developed emotionally and smart to boot.

Child's Creativity

How to develop our child creativity? Most of the parents are relying to the teachers. For me, we as the parent, we are the one who make the big impact to our child. We can develop their creativity through many ways. Belows are some of the tips.

Parents and teachers can and do have an effect on child's creativity. Creativity may be more influenced by environmental rather than genetic factors. In fact,it is promoted through the maintenance of a playful, jovial atmosphere that allows and supports the unconventional but at the same time distinguishes and elaborates on what is appropriate and useful. It develops when examples of different approaches are analyzed. It is more likely to thrive when adults express the idea that any problem can be worked out.

A characteristic noted about creative individuals that is worth mentioning is persistence. Those who display creativity often stick with an idea or problem well beyond at time when others get frustrated and quit. To assist your child to be more persistent, focus on conveying two attitudes. First, reflect the belief that no problem is essentially difficult. With further information or a change in strategy, perspective or persistence, any problem can be solved. Secondly, underline the concept that failure is a term related to situations, not people. Failure indicates a temporary state of affairs and only means that another method or more information and practice are needed.

Creativity is unique and the best way to recognize a child's creativity is to create a craft room.It facilitates a child not only explore it's talent but have fun as well. One has to plan this room in a way that the child loves being there and is stimulated to do some activity, craft and art to develop creativity and keep boredom away.

Child's creativity can be nurtured even as a toddler.It requires a great amount of time, patience and planning to keep toddlers occupied even for some time. The setting of the décor where the little one spends most of it's time should be pleasant. The wall should have stickers or murals of his/her favorite cartoon characters and the ceiling should be covered with glow stars or something of similar sort. This will work out during the story time when the child is put to sleep.The furniture should be placed at a height that can be reached by the child. The toys, craft materials etc can be placed in a place where the child can reach whenever he/she wants. It makes him/her independent and raises hi/her level of confidence as well as keeps him/her busy. Small children love scribbling on the wall. Border the scribbling with a wooden frame .It will look as though the little one's creation is framed.

When the child is slightly older, say around five to seven years of age, one wall of a room could be devoted to the child entirely. It could be left blank for the child to scribble on it, paint ,write poems or draw whatever he/she likes. Let the young one personalize it in any way he/she likes. If the child prefers, paint a story on the wall to fire his/her imagination. At this age, children at present spend their leisure hours playing games on the computer. The time allotted to play these games must be strictly monitored. The child must be encouraged to pick up a book, read it, and even narrate the story. They should be given a topic on which they can draw or create something using their imagination. Encourage letter writing which not only improves communication skills but also helps the child to keep in touch with relatives and friends. Craft items such as painting with wet paints, sticking certain pictures and creating a collage etc can bring out the creative genius in these children while keeping them busy. Board games can be handy when friends and classmates come along. These can be kept within easy reach on open shelves that can be reached by the children. If time permits, this is the right age to introduce the child to an adult game like chess.

To conclude in order to develop a child's creativity, expose him/her to a diversity of cultures, experiences, people, and ways of thinking. Make them aware of the fact that there are different ways to think about a problem. Instill confidence in the child to try new experiences within his/her age level abilities and expectations.

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