As the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education sector continue, research from UNESCO show that 69.4 per cent of the world’s student population is being affected by school closures, with 1.21 billion learners out of school. As students across the globe adapt to new ways of learning at home, it is important to remember to encourage creativity as often as possible.
There is often the assumption that creativity is a talent and skill that children just do or don’t have. This is not the case, and it is something that parents can help their children to develop. In introducing creativity across a range of core subjects, you can ensure that you provide opportunities for your child to develop their learning in new ways.
Here are just a few ways to help you explore creativity at home with your children.
Explore resources available online
We have launched our ‘home learning’ YouTube platform to ensure pupils can continue to engage with regular resources, and think this is so important that we have made some of our online lessons free for everyone to use.
When you are teaching and learning with your children, approaching the traditional framework of subjects can seem daunting. However, institutions such as the Science Museum have populated their website with fun, engaging activities to help children approach learning about science in a more creative way. This includes using milk bottles, bubbles and bottle tops to explore shapes, sounds and materials!
Pupils at The Mulberry House School can benefit from a pre-paid subscription to Espresso, Purple Mash and Maths Whizz. These three platforms are a brilliant way to build on your child’s existing knowledge and mirror subjects covered in our curriculum. It is a good idea to see what subscriptions are available to you too!
Be mindful
It is vital that all pupils receive the right amount of screen time to enrich their learning and development but not to hinder it further. With this in mind, we should encourage children to explore activities away from the screen in order to enhance their creativity and imagination skills.
We believe in developing a love of learning and a big part of this is in encouraging our pupils to be mindful. There are a whole host of activities that children can take part in in order to practice this creatively. It can be anything from painting and drawing to gardening and baking. Some of these activities cross-over too, as children could collect sticks and leaves from the garden in order to create a painting or piece of art.
What it’s really about is spending intentional time exploring new ways to be creative, whilst being reflective too.
Set your mind to entering local competitions
Creativity can be explored in a myriad of different ways, seeking to develop and nurture the wide range of skills in all pupils. Entering competitions run by organisations, charities, local community groups and libraries are a great way to stay engaged and showcase the creative talents of your children.
For example, the RSPB have launched their WildArt 2020 competition, seeking young artists to create a piece of art inspired by nature. This can be through a traditional approach of using paints, pastels and pencils or by experimenting with textiles, sculptures and recycled materials to create your artwork.
The opportunities to be creative, even when learning and educating at home, are endless. Seeking out ways to engage with others, adopting new approaches to traditional subjects and accessing key online resources will ensure that your children are equipped with a whole host of creative skills and an appetite to discover and learn new things to match. And don’t forget to have fun!
