Have you ever noticed that children love to ask “Why?”. Why is the Earth round? Why can’t animals talk like us? Why does gravity make everything fall down? Why do we have to eat green veggies? This is because they have a zeal to know about things that they see, eat or touch. They are like young scientists, trying to find an answer to almost everything they come across. Experimenting, discovering and creating are the most important parts of childhood. This is how children learn and grow and also are able to express how they see the world and their place in it.
Creative imaginative plays help in child development and foster creativity and imagination in toddlers. In simple terms, creative play is about games that require certain creativity. What that means is, when you give your child a set of colors and a sheet of paper with different shapes, it is basically asking the child to make a decision and choose and select which colors does he/she want to use, to fill in those shapes. This way they are able to get creative without any limitation.
Activities such as visual arts, drawing, painting, modeling, play dough, music, and dance are all a part of creative play, which also helps in the flow of their artistic expression. These activities help toddlers develop their senses and help them grow emotionally, intellectually, socially and even physically.
Now the question is why is it so important?
It is crucial for children to participate in creative games and activities as it helps in the expansion of their mind and help them become creative thinkers with good thought-process as they grow up. Creativity also helps the children to think and come up with easy solutions to a problem faster than the kids who are shy or don’t participate in such games. Creative play makes a child develop, evolve and blossom in all ways possible, because everything starts as exploration for them, much like giving their scientific little brains a reason to experiment.
1. Intellectual Development: It all starts with the intellectual and cognitive development of the child. While the child comes up with their own ideas and expressions, an adult can guide and implement a little learning so as to teach them about colors, textures, shapes, sounds, numbers, letters, etc. This way the child tends to learn faster and also retains the knowledge gained through games and activities.
Children should be allowed to experiment with creative activities to improve basic problem-solving skills. Toddlers should also be allowed to be a part of creative activities as it helps in their cognitive development.
2. Emotional Development: When we give the children a free hand, to explore what they can do with colors and paper, play dough, etc, it acts like a positive outlet for them to express their emotions, enabling them to grow emotionally and socially, creating a balance and boosting the child’s senses, self-expression and confidence.
3. Social Development: Group creative plays open up a way for the children to learn about different behavior patterns, be more welcoming and make new friends. General forms of creative play also build social interaction skills and basic communication between the children. It creates a bond, making them socially aware of each other, teach them about social rules, co-operation, sharing, and respect.
4. Physical Development: Creative play is not just about intellectual, emotional and social developments, but also helps stimulate the brain while strengthening the body and improving hand-eye coordination and muscle memory. This can be achieved through fine and gross motor skill activities and sensory plays. As rightly understood, the creative play has two words of deep significance, Creativity which stand for self-expression and Play which is fun and full of learning experiences. But to encourage children to participate in such games and activities, one has to take it seriously and understand the benefits that they bring. A parent has to get themselves involved and act as a good role model if they want the children to participate, especially if they are toddlers. Having a dedicated creative play area makes them kids to leave the television and video games and do something more productive, which can lead to healthier life choices when the child grows up.
