"Children are born curious. It’s one of the things that we admire most about them – even if all the questions drive us crazy sometimes. Curiosity is the foundation of all learning and something that all innovators posses – in order to create, you must first be curious.
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Curiosity and creativity also lay the groundwork for future life skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and a desire to keep learning. Unfortunately, our schools are under so much pressure to meet benchmarks through standardized testing that curiosity and creativity are often pushed aside for rote memorization, testing response templates, and teaching to a test.
Without constant nurturing, delicate skills like creativity and individual thought can be quickly lost.
As parents, we have the ability to sustain creativity and curiosity in our children. Creativity doesn’t come naturally for all of us, though. Luckily, there’s always amazing children’s books to help us get those creative juices flowing in our kids.
Check out our favorite children’s books that inspire and foster creativity.
This books shows even the youngest artists how "little oops" can be transformed into new art with just a touch of creative thinking. This is a great introduction to the creative process and all of the "mistakes" it entails. Ramon loves to draw, but after his older brother makes a snarky remark about his artwork, Ramon loses his joy. His younger sister shows him that art is more than "getting things right." This book is like an intro to Art History for young children -- each dissection of a famous work of art includes prompts for parents to work through with their kids. It encourages children to look closely at art to see the story within. Perfect for art buff parents everywhere.
This wonderful story reflects the magic of childhood and the innate curiosity, wonder, and imagination that children hold within them. BJ Novak (of "The Office" fame) gives kids exactly what they want with this book -- irresistible silliness. Pictures are not necessary here for little imaginations to run wild with word play, and parents will love the fits of laughter that ensue. Author Antionette Portis captures the magic of child's play in this sweet story where a box can be anything. This classic story about Harold and his purple crayon shows just how creativity builds and grows, and how a whole world can be created with just the courage to keep going.
Like the main character of this book, Vashti, many children don't believe themselves to be creative. Sometimes, it takes a little push -- in this case, it's a dot that opens Vashti's mind to the creative spirit inside of her. This book is a favorite with my own budding artist. It includes images of famous art work from around the world, along with an at-home project to replicate that artist's style. My 2-year-old particularly loves replicating Van Gogh by using his fingers to create textured streaks in his paintings. Curiosity is the foundation of creativity, and sometimes it's us as parents that unknowingly squash our children's unyielding curiosity. The Yes Brain explains to parents how to gently push kids out of their comfort zones in order to keep them open and curious and lay a foundation for lifelong exploration and creative problem-solving. This New York Times bestseller tells the story of an idea and the child who fosters it. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea.
