“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein. I’ve been doing a lot of research about ADD, mostly because my 5-year-old has the condition in a BIG way and I am trying to understand what it is that he goes through every day.
I stumbled on an amazing website, totally off the topic, about how creativity and being able or allowed to be creative, helps the brain develop. It was actually total coincidence, but we started art classes for the little man, and I have found when we do arts and crafts at home he is much more calm and focused.
On the site OxyJen.com – “Goblin” talks about an amazing article depicting how the correlation to lifetime creative accomplishment was more than three times stronger for childhood creativity than childhood IQ. So maybe if I try this approach, inspire creativity and keep his creative juices flowing, it could help alleviate some of his symptoms?
I am no professional – and we really are struggling with our boy’s defiance and abundance of energy at the moment, but surely if this is the case it could definitely aid him in the long run? I am no artist, my mom and brother have all the talent in that department, but when I do make some artsy thingies, even just with Daniel, I do find myself unwinding and relaxing totally. Daniel actually begs to do art in the afternoons, and I look so forward to it. Even colouring in a dinosaur in twenty colours is rather soothing for the soul.
I remember reading a book about improving memory, and the biggest way to remember lists was to use our imaginations. Even our shopping list. Since then I don’t write one down anymore because I imagine for example: a waterfall of milk swirling through a funnel of toilet paper, waving around as millions of toothpaste fairies dance around a campsite made of chunks of freshly baked bread, dripping with white butter.
Next to that is a mixer, humungous, slashing around some decadent peanut butter while the honey swats down drop by drop, from a giant bee hovering overhead. And that is a small list of the things I needed last week: Milk, toilet paper, toothpaste, bread, butter, peanut butter and honey. As I go through the isles I remember the setting I created and rarely forget something. And it is so much fun to do!
Even number plates are so much easier to remember when linking each number and letter to something inside my head. (Sometimes the thought process scares me a little, amazing what the mind can come up with sometimes!) But as with all things, it takes practice and a conscious effort – as it will to keep installing creative settings in my son’s life.
As all the experts will tell us, imagination is fuelled by creativity and Daniel definitely has no problem in that department. With all the technology today we tend to forget to incorporate ‘real old fashioned’ books, even my fantasy books are all downloads. Though the iPad has wonderful educational stories and exercises for kiddies, nothing beats the real thing.
We still read ‘real’ books to Daniel and even tell him our own strange and wonderful stories about his nights on the magic carpet with Rex the Dinosaur. They have so many wonderful adventures together while ‘mommy and daddy are sleeping’, and Daniel loves the prospect of us ‘not knowing’ about his adventures!
So in short – we will try to keep those creative channels open, for the whole family! It can only make life more interesting and we will definitely accomplish great things together! I think I’m going to try the shopping list idea with Daniel. I cannot wait to see what he will come up with! Lol
Love live and shine!
