CREATIVITY

Remember that the finished product is not as important as the process of creating it.  For example, painting is how it feels to apply color to things, how colors mix, how paint drips, how people react when it drips!  When we ask a child what their finished product is, we are setting an arbitrary standard that makes children feel that they have failed if they can't call it something, and they may never return to that activity again.  PROCESS, PROCESS, PROCESS!  How does it feel, what will happen if, how does it smell, what happens next, are all paramount to the child.  Children should be asked where they would like their work to go--on a wall, in a cubby?  The same can be said for other activities in the program.  All children have different learning styles which dictate how they are able to process information at this age.  Not all children can sit still, understand our verbal directions, or see what we mean.  Don't be afraid to discover how each child learns best, and use that to everyone's advantage!  The teacher may have a pretty good idea of what style works best for each child, so...WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK, ASK, ASK!!!