There is no secret that creativity nowadays is needed not only for designers or artists. It is equally important to a CEO, a manager, and even an ordinary employee. That’s why there is a lot of discussion about the development of soft skills among adults in a professional direction, for example, when applying for a job.
But what about the kids? Do they need soft skills? Do they need to be creative considering their imagination level is sometimes beyond understanding?
For 20 years I have been working with children in the field of arts and applied crafts (the last 11 years of them in the city of Dubai). And I noticed an interesting trend among students who attended my classes for a long time. In addition to improving the drawing techniques, the basics of composition, the combination of colors, they seemed to open up, became more self-confident, relaxed, and expressed their thoughts more easily. Initially, I justified this by getting used to me as a teacher, perhaps the hand became stronger in drawing. But the feedback from the parents was not about drawing, they also noticed how the children happily run to the lesson, how they became more confident. So, I started the research about the topic of child development THROUGH PAINTING & DRAWING. It turned out that there is a treasure trove of advantages and benefits lies in such a simple, fun and exciting activity.
Probably, you are now thinking, what does the SOFT SKILLS and DRAWING have to do with it? How can you develop self-confidence by scribbling with a pencil on paper? What is the connection between finding out-of-the-box solutions and watercolors? – The relationship is very direct.
Undoubtedly, all children love to draw, regardless of age and skill. Especially, skills ... and sometimes comments about children’s work like: "what kind of scribbles/NONSENCE/weird/crazy did you draw, could have done better" – definitely this will not contribute to the development of soft skills like confidence. Instead, ask your child a simple question – “what is this interesting thing you drew?”, “Who is your character?”, “What is his name?”, invent even stories together around the subject. Use the child’s imagination with fantasies to open up his self-expression, confidence & creativity even more.
In this fast-changing world of technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, our kids need to be super creative, generate ideas and see opportunities everywhere. I personally think that creativity soon will become a mandatory skill of survival in future. And this extremely simple exercise trains all of that. Moreover, just showing this interest in your child’s inner world brings you closer and establish a very warm, emotional connectivity.
More interesting ideas and hints you can find on my Instagram page
@PlayArt_UAE