Creative thinking: how to develop creativity in children and adults

It is impossible to give an exact definition of creative thinking, but meeting such people you immediately feel it. And it's not just about art. This skill helps in studying, working, and solving a variety of tasks. Next, you will learn when to start and how to properly develop creative thinking in children, and whether it's too late to wake it up in adults.

Creative thinking — what is itCreative thinking of children is the art of connecting the unconnected, looking for non—standard ways to solve problems in order to solve daily issues and create your own new way of seeing the world.

For example, a creative child will figure out how to call his parents much faster if he has lost his phone, or learn a verse at recess before class using an associative series. Creative thinking is not only possible, but also necessary to pump children from the earliest years, and now let's talk about how to do it. 

How to develop creative thinking in childrenThere are different ways to develop a child's creativity.

We will tell you about the most effective ones.

Rely on the development of the babyCreativity appears when a child creates something new.

Outwardly, it may seem to you that nothing special happens when a kid builds another tower. But his ideas about the world are different from his parents': today the tower may consist of different blocks, tomorrow it may consist of blocks of the same color. This is a manifestation of creative thinking in children, although you may not notice it.

A striking example with a pyramid: after mastering the skill of the sequence of circles of the pyramid, at some point the kid begins to deliberately arrange them in a chaotic order and watches whether one block will fit through another. At this point, there is no need to correct the child, say how the blocks should stand and what their order is.

You will learn about when the understanding of patterns will be useful to the baby in our article: "How to develop logical thinking in a child."Teach in a playful way

It is unlikely that any child will be happy when his mother says: "Sit down, we will do exercises to develop creative thinking."

The main tool in this business for up to 4-5 years is a plot-role-playing game or modeling, drawing and designing according to free rules. 

During such classes, life situations are simulated that the child lives, finds a way out of them, learns to communicate and prepares for adulthood. Also, role-playing helps to express your feelings and thoughts through fun, to try on a profession. 

At first, the child himself comes up with a simple plot, but as he grows up, he resembles a whole production. Also, the kid decides who will be who and what role they are assigned. It is important for parents to promote such entertainment in every possible way: buy the necessary toys or figure out the attributes from improvised means and be sure to take part.

The potential of role-playing games is inexhaustible, because any information that you submit is remembered better. Playing in the store, you can not only learn the names of products, but also tell about their properties: where they grow and how they are collected. And in the future, you can also study their names in foreign languages.

You will be able to understand the issues of age psychology and understand how to properly, effectively and easily raise your children at a free 3-day online master class: "What every parent should know." Leave your child free time

Give children the opportunity to get bored from idleness.

Do not overwhelm them with intellectual activities, circles or sections. When a child is free, he has the opportunity to solve the main creative task — what to do with himself. He will need to feel his desires and determine, perhaps, the passion of his whole life. Do not underestimate this point if you want to develop creative thinking in a student. Due to the prolonged loads in the classroom, children especially need time to recover and rest.

Are you afraid that in your free time the child will go all out if he is not controlled? Teach him to prioritize correctly. How to do this, see our video: "How to help a child form the right habits and discipline."Invent and solve creative tasks

When the child's imagination is already pumped up, he can occupy himself for a long time on his own and the usual plot-role—playing games are no longer so fascinating, you can move on to the next level - solving open creative tasks.

That is, those in which there is no specific solution algorithm, one correct answer. 

To begin with, you can practice on fairy tales. For example, to figure out how else a Gingerbread Man could do to avoid escaping from home? What other way can you get a Turnip out of the ground? So the child will understand that the solution of the situation depends on resources and desire, and will begin to focus on the end result. 

Parents at this stage help not just to fantasize, but to connect ideas with reality and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed solution. Gradually, the training will become more social in nature: how to quickly do lessons or build a gift to a friend from improvised means.

Read also: "Golden rules of parenting" or how and how much time should be given to a child so that he grows up a healthy and conscious person.Formation of creative thinking in adults

Creative thinking is often perceived as a talent: either it is there from birth, or it is not.

Success in creativity is 85% determined by perseverance and hard work, rather than by a coincidence of circumstances. Most of what seems to be genius is the result of aspirations, overcoming obstacles and personal fears. And any skill, even the ability to think outside the box, can be upgraded. We offer 5 simple methods to increase creative thinking in adults.

Start fantasizingThe development of creative abilities requires effort and time.

Make it a rule to train your mind regularly. Come up with ideas that at first glance will seem crazy. For example, come up with new ways to use a paper clip. This test was invented in 1967 by American psychologist Joe Paul Guilford to evaluate a multivariate approach in the process of finding a solution to a problem. It is still used in trainings and interviews. The average person can come up with 10 to 20 ways in 2 minutes.

Starting to pump the brain regularly, you teach it to constantly look for new ways to solve problems. Generating new ideas not only creates a fertile ground for creativity, but also strengthens your mind, which serves as a powerful prevention of the development of senile dementia. When you come up with something new, a signal appears in the cerebral cortex that you are improving yourself, and this provokes the release of the hormone dopamine, which is responsible for the feeling of happiness and euphoria.

Relax and switchContinuous brainstorming will not make you more creative, but only discourage the desire to develop.

Many global companies, such as Google and Linkedin, have long since switched to an 80/20 work schedule, where employees rest 80% of the time. You will not see the start of the thought process, but it will happen around the clock, without requiring your constant "thinking" over the question. 

For example, someone comes up with good ideas while running, watching a TV series or playing with children. By distracting yourself from daily problems, you give your consciousness an opportunity to unload a little and generate non-standard ideas. 

Change your usual environmentHave you noticed that there are people who move to live in another city or country, begin to rebuild their way of life and orient themselves more quickly in everyday life

. Their brains find non-obvious connections faster, and in general they succeed well in creativity. Adapting to life in a society with a new language or lifestyle, old habits are transformed and behavioral patterns change. 

Travel and new acquaintances also affect your thinking. Emotions and impressions change ideas about the world and internal attitudes, while enriching the outlook.

Disrupt the usual course of thingsTo begin with, try changing your schedule sometimes.

During periods when you are not as productive, the ability to concentrate also decreases. At first it may seem that in a state of fatigue you are unable to generate ideas, but your consciousness is more relaxed, and you do not control the flow of thoughts that cling to one another. 

In this state, you are able to see more alternatives and interpretations, to find non-obvious connections between things. Break down stereotypical thinking and behavior, walk new roads and create unusual routes.

Feel like a pioneerInnovation is harder for experts.

They know the possible risks and ways of developing the situation. And this sometimes hinders more than it helps. Try to look at the situation through the eyes of a beginner who knows no boundaries and disappointments. Remember how many ideas a new employee offers. Allow yourself to be a little freer and look at life easier.

It's never too late to develop creativity or start training creative thinking with your child. This fun and exciting process will bring you together and help you react faster to many life situations, finding non-standard solutions for them.

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