Divergent thinking – supporting your child to develop an essential skill
The jobs our children will do in the future might not exist yet, but with a changing world we know we’ll need innovative thinkers. We explain a bit more about what your child needs to innovate and give you some ideas for ways to play that will help support these skills.
Divergent thinking is an aspect of creativity. It involves thinking of lots of possible solutions to a problem or task.[1]
Creative ideas that aren’t art and craft
If someone mentions creativity most of us immediately think about art and craft, but creativity is about much more than paint and glue. And we think lots of the activities that people call creative really aren’t at all, they’re much more about following instructions and conforming. If you’re ready to help your child get their creative juices flowing, we’ve got some ideas for you – and there isn’t any crafting involved!
The Cambridge dictionary defines creativity as, “The ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas.”[1]
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
This is a story inspired by the author’s experience as a teacher, seeing children’s lack of confidence in their artistic ability. The author was motivated to help children and adults to explore and discover their creativity – and to put an end to us saying, “I can’t draw!”
In this story, Vashti doesn’t draw a picture in art class because she says, “I can’t draw.”
Simple ideas for finding a dose of nature wherever you live
We know spending time in nature helps our children to learn about looking after the world around them. As it's Earth day on Monday, we thought we’d share a few ideas to get you started playing and learning outdoors (and there are lots more among the ideas on your activities page).
If you live in a built-up area you might feel that activities with nature aren’t for you, but even in a busy area you can find the natural world, either by finding a green space, noticing the plants and insects which do manage to grow in your street or even planting some seeds to bring nature into your home.
There’s no planet b – activities with nature, your child’s learning and caring for the planet
There is growing interest in the role nature plays in learning, with many people believing that spending time with nature not only helps children (and adults) care more about the planet but also helps them learn more generally. A research review, published in February 2019, concluded that this belief can be backed by research evidence.
On our podcast we spoke to Charlotte from Parents For Future, an organisation supporting parents to campaign for climate action.
She described the complicated emotions of raising children while aware of the climate crisis - and they shared some small changes or action you can take to reduce that anxiety. Listen to the podcast here, and read on to see how we use research to support our ideas - and to support you.
It can be really difficult, with so much information and opinions surrounding you both online and in real life, to work you what information to trust. That’s why as well as drawing on our years of experience, and experts in their field such as Charlotte, we look into the latest research to stay up to date with current evidence.
How to support your child’s development without comparing
Most people find themselves comparing their children’s development at some point. It might be when you see a few videos of babies rolling in your WhatsApp group, or a ‘helpful’ relative reminds you that your cousin’s toddler can already have a full conversation. Even when you’re determined not to compare, it’s hard not to get pulled in. Our journey is designed to help you stop comparing and instead see and support your child’s progress.
Activity ideas for all ages with a cardboard box
Simple things often are the best, and that applies to play too. As is gets towards the end of the summer holidays, we thought we’d share some ways to use one of our favourite playthings – the humble cardboard box
If you have a big cardboard box you might not need any of these ideas, because children of all ages love getting in a box, or filling it with some of their favourite things.
Montessori, Forest School, home education... and the list goes on!
As you emerged from your newborn bubble, you probably found yourself thinking more about your baby’s play. What should you be doing to keep them entertained and support their development? We’ve got that covered on your activities page, full of play ideas linked to the skills your child is learning now. Over time, especially if you’re looking for childcare or even thinking about school, you can find yourself wondering if you should be following a particular approach to learning such as Montessori, Forest Schools or something else.
There is lots to think about when it comes to child development and ways of learning. Social media and the ability to see what other families are doing can add to the pressure parents feel to pick one way, and follow it closely. We know this isn't something that works for everyone - and we know the reality is that most of us end up taking aspects of lots of different approaches and weaving them into our day in a way which works for us.
