Loving Life with Little Ones

Pages

  • Life with the Little Ones
  • Little 1
  • Little 2
  • Little 3
  • About Me/Contact Me

12 December 2014

How much do we stifle our children's creativity?

Recently I have been thinking about how much (or how little) freedom I give my children to be children and be freely creative. It all stems back to a post I wrote last May when Little 1 came home from preschool with a box of pet snails (check out the post here - the snail one) and she drew this picture.


Having shown an interest in the snails and watched them for a while she chose to draw a picture, she drew the two pictures on the left, top down views of the snails with their shells on their backs, the way she saw them from the top of the box. I don't know what compelled me to do it but after praising her efforts I suggested she draw one from the side, a view that we are all more comfortable with and the 'normal' way to draw a snail, I don't really know why I did it and had to have a more 'normal' image of a snail to pin to the wall. I regretted it afterwards and wished I hadn't done that. Why did her drawing have to be like everyone elses?

It was this comment left on my snail post that really got me thinking about what had happened in that drawing session and has caused me to think about my actions several times since then.


''.......I am completely smitten with her drawings. In the UK an adult or older child
would never draw a top down view of a snail like that, as she gets older she'll 
realise it's not usual and wouldn't do it. So much creativity is stifled by accepted
norms - alas it's the same for everybody :) ''
- Comment from www.TheBrickCastle.com

I was thinking about what I could write in this post and a few examples I could use to indicate how much we dictate our children's creativity and persuade them to conform to the 'norm' if there is such a thing, when two examples were presented to me that very afternoon. 

Firstly Little 2 wanted the train track out, I was pottering and finishing off some housework so she set out building a track by herself, she did really well and built this all by herself over about 5 minutes (from the bridge until the end).


I had then finished my jobs and went to join her by helping build the track on the other side of the bridge and back around until I ran out of track. Now if I had built the whole track I would have ensured it had met in the middle or altered it so that it did when I'd run out of pieces, why, because it just had to in my mind. But as Little 2 had built most of the track herself and was pleased with her efforts (and with this post in mind) I didn't do anything else. 



Little 2 and I played a while up and down the track, maybe 10 minutes or so and then she used the train on the carpet to reach the other end of track, she mentioned that the track wasn't finished and had a look in the box. There were other bits of buildings and gates from the village in there so I watched as she lengthened the track using these bits and created a little road to run the train between.


We played with our track for a good hour and then ended up singing train and car related songs as she sat in the box and drove a train/car. I am glad I left the track as it was and didn't change it, what did it matter anyway?




The second incidence was just half an hour later when I collected Little 1 from school, as I checked her school bag for notes etc I pulled out a pile of colouring pages she had done. 5 pictures were Christmas pictures that she had coloured in multi colours using every available shade (see below). This is how she has coloured in since the summer, all her pictures look like this at the moment, it is what she likes to do and I don't have a problem with it. She knows that a baby is not green and a mince pie is brown, she is proud of her artwork and so are we.



The next picture I found was a colour by numbers christmas tree, all coloured correctly as per the instructions and with a comment underneath it, Great colouring Little 1, which had obviously come from one of the teaching staff. Little 1 spotted me looking at it and told me that she had shown the multicoloured work to her teaching assistant who had asked her if she would like to do another colouring and gave her the colour by numbers, it may just have been a coincidence or a class activity I have no idea but was it a subtle suggestion that this was the way it should be done?? After all there were no comments on the other colouring pages!

So having spent the past few days thinking about what I say and what I do relating to the Little ones I have realised just how much, in daily life, I guide them towards the norm or tell them something has to be this way, make suggestions or guide them when they are doing something. 

I hereby promise that I will take a step back and let them be children, let them use their creativity their way and let them do it the way they want to do it and not try to 'help' or correct them too much, after all society will knock them into shape whether I like it or not sooner or later. 

(I also promise that later on when we decorate the Christmas tree with Daddy I will not adjust the baubles when the children have gone to bed even if it means they are all on the same square foot of tree.)

Do you let your child be free to do things their way or do you correct them and guide them towards the socially acceptable norm or they way you would do it?? What do they do when we take a step back and just let them be??
at 2:51 pm
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Labels: games, little ones, mummy, playing

9 comments:

  1. Merlinda Little12 December 2014 at 18:33

    My son loves to draw so much! I would like to think that he got it from me but I dont know its probably how kids learn and grow. I dont really control him. After drawing I would ask him to explain the drawings to me and like your child he would draw things differently. I just let him be with this. I want him to find his voice in drawing =) #binkylinky

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  2. Le Coin de Mel12 December 2014 at 23:52

    What a brilliant post! I have really enjoyed reading it. It is a great reminder that we shouldn't stifle our children's creativity. Those colouring pages are full of life and colour, and that snail from the top... I would never have thought of doing it myself! I will try and take a step back, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  3. TheBrickCastle13 December 2014 at 09:12

    That is a lovely post and I can't believe that my comment so long ago has been in your mind so much.
    I think it's very hard to leave them to just create freely, we have practised and think we know more effective ways to get our point across, or that a train track generally runs better when it's circular, but the ingenuity they have can make something so much more magical, personal and sometimes genius.
    And I'm totally with you on the colouring - a brown mince pie would make a very boring picture, and 'skintone' crayons are never right. She's coloured very neatly and it looks beautiful, so she can have a 'nice work' from me at least :D
    Thank you so much for the mention xx Merry Christmas to you all (including green Jesus).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  4. TheBrickCastle13 December 2014 at 09:16

    (I know I won't be able to resist a little readjustment of some of the baubles once mine have gone to bed ;) )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  5. Let's Talk Mommy13 December 2014 at 22:07

    I am horrible for this its a flaw I know it but I can't leave the control behind and let them fully get into it yet. They are babies and I struggle to not jump in to make everything look nice and perfect. I keep promising when they get a bit older I will get better it's a work in progress as I want them to shine with their own creativity. Still can't ever let them decorate the tree without rearranging just can't happen. hahahaha Thanks for linking up to Share With Me Happy Holidays! #sharewithme

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  6. Caroline16 December 2014 at 16:54

    really really interesting post, it is amazing how much we encourage them to do things 'Normally' or 'properly' without even thinking why. Monkey and I were going some drawing yesterday and asked me to draw some green spaghetti with red bits. My initial reaction was to say that was silly but I stopped myself. I've no idea why he wanted green spaghetti but I went with it, good to let them he kids and as creative and imaginative as they like! Having said that, I have been there with the train track and really struggle when it doesn't all link up!,Great post :) #letkidsbekids

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  7. Karen Bell22 December 2014 at 09:58

    Very interesting. I think there needs to be a balance between children being creative alone, which they definitely need to do without our constraints, as there really is no right or wrong, but also some assistance at times may be good to help guide them in other possibilities they have maybe not thought of. It's not correcting them, more accepting what they have done, praising and showing them alternatives too.
    I love the multicoloured colouring.
    Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  8. Lifelittleones12 September 2017 at 09:16

    I'm guilty of stifling my girls sometimes. I'm the sort of person where a tree is green and brown, not pink and blue! I need to relax more and let my girls play more creatively and freely I think. Love her drawings. Thanks for linking up to the #BinkyLinky

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
  9. Lifelittleones12 September 2017 at 09:16

    Thank you for reading and commenting x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
      Reply
Add comment
Load more...

Thank you for taking the time to comment x

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Little 1

Little 1

Little 2

Little 2

Little 3

Little 3

Popular Posts

  • The easy way to remove a splinter from a toddler!!
  • 10 reasons why I love reusable nappies
  • The day we met a mermaid
  • The one with the mud kitchen
  • The one where Little 3 choked on a penny
  • Introducing the Totsbots EasyFit Star nappy
  • Cooling off on sunny afternoons at Slimbridge
  • A surprise trip to Wookey Hole winter wonderland

Blog archive

  • ►  2020 (18)
    • ►  November 2020 (1)
    • ►  October 2020 (1)
    • ►  September 2020 (1)
    • ►  August 2020 (1)
    • ►  July 2020 (3)
    • ►  May 2020 (2)
    • ►  April 2020 (4)
    • ►  March 2020 (1)
    • ►  February 2020 (3)
    • ►  January 2020 (1)
  • ►  2019 (40)
    • ►  December 2019 (7)
    • ►  November 2019 (4)
    • ►  October 2019 (3)
    • ►  August 2019 (3)
    • ►  July 2019 (2)
    • ►  June 2019 (2)
    • ►  May 2019 (5)
    • ►  April 2019 (3)
    • ►  March 2019 (3)
    • ►  February 2019 (5)
    • ►  January 2019 (3)
  • ►  2018 (52)
    • ►  December 2018 (3)
    • ►  November 2018 (4)
    • ►  October 2018 (6)
    • ►  September 2018 (3)
    • ►  August 2018 (4)
    • ►  July 2018 (6)
    • ►  June 2018 (2)
    • ►  May 2018 (3)
    • ►  April 2018 (7)
    • ►  March 2018 (6)
    • ►  February 2018 (5)
    • ►  January 2018 (3)
  • ►  2017 (75)
    • ►  December 2017 (3)
    • ►  November 2017 (7)
    • ►  October 2017 (8)
    • ►  September 2017 (7)
    • ►  August 2017 (4)
    • ►  July 2017 (5)
    • ►  June 2017 (7)
    • ►  May 2017 (5)
    • ►  April 2017 (9)
    • ►  March 2017 (6)
    • ►  February 2017 (6)
    • ►  January 2017 (8)
  • ►  2016 (123)
    • ►  December 2016 (10)
    • ►  November 2016 (17)
    • ►  October 2016 (15)
    • ►  September 2016 (14)
    • ►  August 2016 (8)
    • ►  July 2016 (8)
    • ►  June 2016 (9)
    • ►  May 2016 (12)
    • ►  April 2016 (9)
    • ►  March 2016 (8)
    • ►  February 2016 (7)
    • ►  January 2016 (6)
  • ►  2015 (67)
    • ►  December 2015 (4)
    • ►  November 2015 (4)
    • ►  October 2015 (5)
    • ►  September 2015 (4)
    • ►  August 2015 (5)
    • ►  July 2015 (4)
    • ►  June 2015 (5)
    • ►  May 2015 (5)
    • ►  April 2015 (8)
    • ►  March 2015 (4)
    • ►  February 2015 (9)
    • ►  January 2015 (10)
  • ▼  2014 (167)
    • ▼  December 2014 (7)
      • Merry Christmas from the Little Ones
      • Dry, itchy eczema prone skin- you should try AVEEN...
      • A wintery walk to blow the cobwebs away
      • How much do we stifle our children's creativity?
      • Easy peasy festive fudge
      • The Little ones write to Santa
      • A toddler kind of day
    • ►  November 2014 (10)
    • ►  October 2014 (12)
    • ►  September 2014 (12)
    • ►  August 2014 (12)
    • ►  July 2014 (17)
    • ►  June 2014 (11)
    • ►  May 2014 (15)
    • ►  April 2014 (15)
    • ►  March 2014 (21)
    • ►  February 2014 (16)
    • ►  January 2014 (19)

Find me on Facebook

Find me on Facebook
Follow @lifelittleones
Instagram

Follow me by email

TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
TOTS100

The latest Frugi offers here...

Search This Blog

Labels

baking beach bedtime birthday book christmas cloth nappies daddy days out ectopic heart fashion friends games garden getting crafty growing up holidays little 1 little 2 little 3 little ones mummy national trust out and about playing reading review school toys
Simple theme. Powered by Blogger.