There are a lot of things that go into a child’s development at school. While academia is hugely important, many people underestimate the power that creativity can have in all aspects of our lives, particularly while we’re growing up.
Here at our prep school in Devon, we believe in combining the strengths of academia and creativity to deliver a fully-rounded education to our pupils, because the benefits of creativity can be enormous. Here are just some of the ways creative sessions help with a child’s development.
Improve Problem-Solving Skills
Often, we think of creativity as something extra, a flourish on top of more functional thoughts or activities. Actually, much of creativity is functional in itself and is concerned with finding different solutions to various problems.
Creative activities encourage children to approach a task or assignment in whichever way they see fit, asking them to think differently and originally. This outside-the-box thinking encourages innovation and imagination, both of which are crucial to a pupil’s development.
Facilitate Independent Learning
Bringing creativity and personal expression into education allows pupils to take ownership of their experience. As a result, creative lessons often lead to all pupils showing more focus and attentiveness.
The average focus and attention span of a young child can be as little as a few minutes, particularly when everyday distractions such as other classmates or the outside world are prevalent. If the same teaching methods are implemented time after time, this can become boring for a child, causing them to lose focus.
Adding creative activities to lessons heightens their focus and attention, making the study time immediately before and after such activities more productive.
Introducing more creative aspects to lessons can also help when children are learning at different speeds. Pupils running ahead can explore new solutions to problems to deepen their learning, while those who are struggling, get the space to learn on their own terms.
Emotional Development
Sharing your own ideas can be scary for everyone, especially in a classroom. By encouraging creativity in educational spaces, we ensure all pupils learn the value of self-expression, helping to boost confidence, happiness, and more.
The nature of education means that it can be stressful for some children, particularly those preparing for exams or attempting to get their heads around a challenging topic. Creative activities provide a welcome break between strenuous study periods where children can relax and rediscover the joy of learning.
Creative learning styles also allow children to express what they are thinking. Classroom debates and discussions mean that children have the chance to become a part of their group, giving them a sense of satisfaction and happiness as a result.
This creative approach to learning often results in a better overall performance from children as they feel more confident in themselves and their abilities.
Social Skills
It’s not just our sense of self that improves through creativity. When implemented in educational settings, creative sessions can be vital for improving pupils’ social skills.
Creative thinking helps pupils to hold interesting conversations and integrate innovative thinking. The ability to communicate how you are feeling is vital for young children and this transferrable skill will stay with them throughout their school years and beyond.
Prepare for Future Careers
Finally, it’s important to consider the importance of creativity in the workplaces of the future. If education is about preparing pupils for adult life, then creativity needs to be a cornerstone of education in this contemporary age.
At a time when technology is progressing quicker than ever, many of the jobs pupils will be doing in the future don’t yet exist. This is why major companies are advocating for the importance of certain skills, such as problem-solving and creative thinking, that will help people adapt to whatever opportunities present themselves in the future.
Combining creativity with education ensures children are learning these crucial workplace skills from a young age in a way that is engaging and fun.
Hopefully, this blog has convinced you just how important creativity is throughout the whole of education. If you’re interested in learning more about our approach, why not contact us today?
