The Creation Station

Continuing the discussion of creativity, I want to share an idea that has resulted in countless masterpieces in our home.  It all started when my daughter's preschool teacher said she was struggling with scissor cutting.  I was horrified!  Have I been ignoring her fine motor skills?  My son had no problem with scissor cutting!  Yes, I over reacted like any insecure mother would. 

The result of the preschool teachers comment was "the creation station."  What's this you ask?  I realized that our art supplies were limited to say the least and were not in an easily accessible area.  I also realized that I kept a VERY tight reign on the scissors (for safety reasons, but also for fear of the dreaded, home spun hair cut...nothing better than no bangs for a class photo).

I went out and bought a rubbermaid storage unit with drawers and wheels and placed it in a corner in our dining room.  I also bought a couple of smaller containers with drawers and placed it on top of the other unit.  Voilla!  The Creation Station!  Here's what's in it:

• crayons
• washable markers
• washable stamps with washable ink pads
• playdough and all the accessories
• a variety of paper, e.g., white, drawing, writing, note pads, finger painting, etc.
• gel pens and black paper
• child safe scissors
• magazines and flyers (for cutting out pictures and making collages)
• glue and glue sticks
• tape (never lasts long, hmmm....)
• drawing pencils
• paints, brushes, smocks
• colored chalk
• odds and ends, e.g., empty toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, matchstick boxes, pom poms, fabric swatches, popsicle sticks, felt, foam pieces, etc.

Since putting the Creation Station in the dining room, it has been used EVERY DAY!  There isn't a day that goes by where someone doesn't use the markers to make a sign or practice writing their name.  It is a wonderful thing. 

One thing that I must say about art and young children, it is about PROCESS not PRODUCT.  By that I mean, the process itself is where learning takes place.  Exercising their little hands, thinking about what to add next, what colors to use -- just think about all the different developmental processes involved! 

Here are some tips to encourage creativity in young kids:

• Focus on the process not the product!  For example, "you sure did use a lot of colors!" or "it looked like you had a lot of fun making that picture."
• When your little one says "Look at what I drew," don't tell them what YOU think it is (because we are often wrong!).  Instead, ask them to tell you about what they drew.  This often opens the door for even more imagination and creativity.  Oh the stories that I have heard by asking kids this open ended question!
• Keep art supplies available and easily accessible (keeping age and safety in mind of course).
• Don't fix their projects or pictures!  If they only give the dog in their picture one leg, than so be it.
• Give them positive feedback, e.g., "That looks great sweetie!"  Balance it with self-affirming statements as well, e.g., "You sure worked hard on that.  You must be proud of yourself and the fine job that you did."  This helps kids learn how to validate themselves.

Do you have a creation station? What things do you do to foster your child's creativity?  Post any tips or suggestions!