We develop the creative abilities of the child: how to choose the right path?

At what age to start?

At a very early age, a child is interested in absolutely everything – he literally tastes the world around him. Most experts agree that early childhood is the most favorable period for the development of creative abilities.

From the age of one, show your baby how to use different objects or what can be done to the music. Hand motor skills affect overall development – even speech in children who pick up pencils and paints early develops faster. Therefore, as soon as the child can hold a pencil in his hand, start drawing, even if at first just jagged lines.

At 3-4 years old, start developing activities that will support the child’s interest and not overload him. Learn simple dances and develop the ability to move in a certain rhythm. At this age, the child learns to fantasize, and simple role-playing games will help develop the artist’s talent.

But learning to play musical instruments is recommended to start a little later, in the interval from 4 to 5 years. Scientists believe that children are most receptive from 1,5 to 9 years old, but this does not mean that after 9 years you should not be creative. It’s just that the learning process will be different.

Choose something interesting together

Watching a child, mothers and fathers already at 3-4 years old can understand what he prefers to do. To give your child the opportunity to get acquainted with different types of creativity and see what he likes, attend developmental classes in leisure centers or kindergartens. Or go with him to an open day at a children’s art school.

For children of 3-4 years old, there are preparatory departments, where classes are held in a playful way in all areas – from fine arts to dancing and singing. In the same place, children get acquainted with various musical instruments: they watch how other children learn, and even try to play something themselves.

In the capital, 140 art schools subordinate to the Department of Culture of the City of Moscow have been opened in various fields. After graduating from the preparatory department of such a school, by the age of 6,5 years (the minimum age for admission to the 1st grade of an art school), the child will be able to choose what he wants to do next. And here the task of parents is to help and support. After all, changing the creative direction in the course of education is incomparably easier than returning the child’s desire to learn.

By the way, if a child develops a serious interest, then it is the diploma of the art school that will give him the opportunity to continue further creative education in secondary and higher educational institutions.

Disagree with your child’s choice?

It happens that we do not always like the choice of the child. There can be many reasons – from parents’ fear of not incurring additional expenses to personal unfulfilled ambitions, lack of confidence in the child’s abilities, and simply prejudice. How often boys who love dancing or drawing are almost forcibly sent to boxing.

Trust your child: perhaps he will be able to achieve amazing results with his efforts. And even if it later turns out that this is not the right path for him, it’s okay. After all, any creative activities are useful: they develop imagination, observation, teach you to think outside the box and solve problems, reveal the potential of the child in the most unexpected areas. Even if he does not become the new Richter or Aivazovsky, creative pursuits will play an important role in the development of his personality.

How to combine art and regular school

Psychologists recommend diluting the beginning of education in a secondary school with the start of new creative activities. It will be easier to adapt to new responsibilities if the child is already engaged in art before entering the first grade.

Alternatively, you can start creative learning when the child enters the second grade of a comprehensive school.

If your child is already seriously studying at the art school by the elementary grades, it’s time to help him build the right daily routine, which will need to be followed for several years. It must have a place for outdoor walks. Do not forget about free time – at least two hours a day for games, reading, relaxation and hobby activities. And at this time – no lessons.

What to do if bored or not working

Don’t judge your child’s accomplishments (“You did wrong”), but compare his current successes with the past (“Look, this is how you drew just a year ago, and now you can do much more”). As a rule, in the first year of classes, development goes very quickly. But over time, it slows down, and this is absolutely normal: after all, the more complex the skill, the more time it takes to consolidate it.

Give the child time to absorb the information, do not push him on the way to new results. Situations when a child seems to be doing well, but he ceases to like it, happen to almost everyone. This is also normal. After all, the child grows up, his interests, dreams, the music he listens to, the world around him change. This can happen in the second year of study, and in the sixth.

The first and most important thing for any parents of any children is to love their child, to listen, not to suppress the manifestation of individuality, to be near and support. Be attentive to him, take seriously his work and hobbies, not forgetting about honesty and adequate assessment. Talk more often and learn not only to listen, but also to hear without judging or criticizing in vain. The main task is to support the child in his endeavors.