The child who develops an entire story about one of his stuffed animals is being creative. So is the child who spends hours trying different ways to stack her wooden blocks. Creativity is not limited to times when a child paints, scribbles or makes something out of play dough. Encouraging the child to be creative in a number of different ways is an important job since creativity is a quality that all children will need as they mature and reach adulthood. In fact, being able to solve a new problem largely depends on how creative a person is.
Young children learn to be creative and they learn that it is a desirable quality.
The learning is slow and involves small everyday incidents that can easily be missed unless we are aware of what is happening. The child who smears chocolate pudding on the kitchen counter probably will never be encouraged to repeat this particular behavior. It is an opportunity though to acknowledge and comment on the interesting and creative designs. The secret is to channel his painting into a more acceptable form. It may mean the child is given the opportunity to spread a little pudding on a cookie sheet or piece of waxed paper.