“Encourage Your Creative Thinker”
   By Vivian W. Owens

How would you respond to your child saying, “Mommy, look what I made.”? You look.

You see that your four year-old daughter built a castle, but she dumped a box of sugar cubes all over your kitchen counter top during the process. If you would not react favorably, you’re not alone. Parents are often temperamental with creative thinkers. However, this group of children needs your encouragement in order to succeed.

Creative thinkers can be recognized at home or in school— they are curious, imaginative and intellectually flexible. These self-starters are tinkerers, able to completely immerse themselves in a project. They re-imagine their world, putting a new twist on old ideas involving objects, art, music, literature or science. In their eyes, a tree may be a getaway helicopter and a smiley face may evolve into a bird’s nest. They may hear a dragon scratching at their window or feel dime-sized pandas swatting at their eyelashes while they sleep. They may “become” a lion, snarling and pouncing at a throw pillow.

Ten year-old Juan always suggests a non-conventional approach. Whether you’re shampooing his sister’s hair, scrambling eggs or shoveling snow, he wants to try something new. “What would happen if we add this…?” he asks. Lindsey creates new words, while Katie is a pro at creating games or puzzles.

Unfortunately, their curiosity irritates some people. Their questions may slow you down, distract you from what you otherwise were doing, or even test your patience. You may not be able to see, hear or feel the things that have arrested their attention or concern. Orderliness is not always a priority for them.

In formal learning situations, like school classrooms, a creative thinker may intellectually disengage from classroom discussions and miss valuable information because the thought process is too predictable or [in their view] boring. They may not focus on important details that help them to eliminate incorrect answers or to provide a thorough, cohesive response to a question. Articulating their ideas or challenges in a way easily understood by others can prove frustrating, because it slows down their thinking processes. On multiple-choice tests, they spot several correct answers. They need you to nurture them and prevent the drop in creativity many of them experience around fourth grade. When they reach high school, they sometimes find their rightful places in academic programs that interest or stimulate them.

We do not want their inventiveness to drain away as negative feedback sandpapers their suggestions (and self-esteem). Creative thinkers need to be appreciated. After all, these children will one day develop a cure for all forms of cancer, and they will continue to create technologies that revolutionize the way we live.

Consider the following steps
To help your creative thinkers

• Encourage them. Listen to their ideas. Seek their opinions and allow them opportunities to demonstrate their know-how.
• Applaud their questioning approach, but teach them the importance of timing and appropriateness.
• [Show them how to eliminate the incorrect answers to a multiple-choice question by talking them through your process of selecting the answer that best suits the question. Help them to focus on specific details embedded in a question that will enable them to eliminate certain answer choices.]
• Provide access to the activities that engage their deepest interests.
• Provide opportunities for extracurricular activities. Encourage Alexis to try out for the volleyball team or to audition for the lead part in a school play.
• Expand Brandon’s fascination with words through puzzles and poetry.
• If David is a high school junior with incredible mathematical talent, find summer camps or Saturday programs that bend toward fun mathematics activities.
• For those whose interest lies in science, encourage them to apply to nearby space programs or scientist-led workshops.

As you begin to appreciate creative thinkers in your home, you will begin helping them to appreciate themselves. You will look for ways to bring out their best academic talents.