Creative activities: why they’re important for school-age learning and developmentSchool-age children usually take a keen interest in creative activities. This is great because creative activities like drama, singing, dancing, art and craft help school-age children: Show
Encouraging school-age children to enjoy creative activitiesYou can encourage creative activity by giving your child free time to play and stepping back from your child’s play. Even boredom can encourage children to be creative. So can relaxation – for example, lying on the grass and watching the clouds change their shape. It’s important for your child to enjoy and think about the process of creating things. You can help this happen by encouraging your child to share artworks and creative activities with you and your family. It’s always best to check with your child before sharing their artwork with other people, especially on social media. When your child is creating something, it’s good for them to keep experimenting and changing their artworks until they feel they’re finished. You can encourage this by:
If you can give your child a workspace or storage box for their unfinished projects, that’s great too. Whatever artwork your child comes up with, you can encourage their effort with plenty of descriptive praise. For example, ‘I like the rhyming words in your song’. This is great for your child’s confidence. Some children are more interested in creative activities than others, so you can’t really ‘teach’ your child to enjoy these creative activities. But you can pass on a positive attitude to them. It’s good to include some ‘art appreciation’ in your child’s life. Why not visit a local art exhibition or see a multicultural or Aboriginal dance or theatre performance together and talk about your favourite parts? Art and craft: creative activities for school-age childrenAt this age, children have a solid understanding of colour, shapes, patterns and details. Where your child used to draw scribbles and squiggles for trees and flowers, now you can see leaves, branches, trunks and petals. School-age children are also figuring out different ways to make things – they don’t need parts pre-made for them. For example, they might draw and cut out wings for a craft butterfly, or they might make wings from scrap paper and leaves. Younger school-age children might still need your help to get started. Here are some ideas for creative art and craft activities:
Creative writing is a great way for your child to express emotions and explore ideas. For example, your child might make up new words or riddles, write and illustrate a family story book, write a script for their favourite TV show, or start a journal or blog about their favourite subjects or activities. Drama: creative activities for school-age childrenSchool-age children often make up and act out their own stories using simple props. Sometimes they act out events from daily life, movies and TV shows. Or you might notice your child acting out the lyrics as they listen to music or watch music videos. Also, children might act out roles like a caring vet or a police officer. These dramatic activities give children the chance to work out real-life problems, like what to do when a person or a pet is sick or someone is angry. They also encourage children to see the world from someone else’s point of view, which helps to build empathy. Here are some ideas to get your child involved in dramatic creative activities:
Diversity in play is good for children. It helps children learn about people from diverse backgrounds, avoid stereotypes and understand equality. For example, you could encourage children of all genders to dress up as nurses or builders. Or choose stories or songs from diverse cultures or languages. Music, sound, movement and dance: creative activities for school-age childrenYour child might enjoy making music, either copying songs they know or making up their own. Your child might also be keen to experiment with volume, echo, rhythm, tempo and pitch. And they might be ready to use musical symbols and notes to learn how to play a piece of music. Also, at this age, children can often control and move their bodies in expressive ways. You’ll probably see your child moving more in time with music. Or your child might start making up dance sequences to popular music or songs. Here are some ways for your child to get creative with music, sound, movement and dance:
If your child wants to learn a musical instrument, encourage them to listen to a range of instruments and musical styles so they can work out what interests them the most. For example, play orchestral music, electronic music and popular bands. Or go to see different live music acts at a local festival. Creative activities for children with diverse abilitiesYou can adapt creative activities to suit school-age children with diverse abilities. For example, if your child:
|