Has our modern world extinguished the creative spark in our kids?
Over-scheduled, over-teched, and over-tested. That pretty much sums up so many lives. It seems like there's a mile-long list of expectations for our kids. And the pressure on both children and parents is rising.
And that's because we don't just want smart, talented kids. We want creative ones, too.
Our schools, businesses, and culture have become obsessed with producing creative geniuses. It feels like everyone is looking for the inventive innovators of tomorrow, especially since our world is changing fast.
But as Diana Senechal points out in her book,
Mind Over Memes, the way we go about trying to instill creativity may be killing it.Â
"As creativity is increasingly touted as the 'premier skill' of our time,"Â
Senechal argues, "there's little interest in just letting this ability develop independently. Instead, it is being quantified, dissected, and tested, taught, and measured."
That very act of trying to hone creativity may be what's keeping it stifled.Â
According to one study by Kyung Hee, creativity researcher of the College of William and Mary, creativity is on the decline. "Since 1990, children have become less able to produce unique and unusual ideas. They are also less humorous, less imaginative, and less able to elaborate on ideas,"
Kim said.
The good news is that creativity doesn't disappear. It can be suppressed, but it can also be nourished.
There's plenty of evidence to suggest that worldwide, our children are capable of incredible creativity. But rather than insisting that people demonstrate their aptitude for this skill, we should make room for it to grow.
Because in the end, creativity is essential. It's what makes life interesting and fulfilling. It's what gets us to think outside the box and come up with the solutions we so desperately need in our complex world.Â
It's not just a nice skill to have. It's a human right. A skill worth cultivating.
To do that, however, we need to be creative at how we foster creativity. Every student has different needs. Instead of trying to "hack" or standardize our way into creativity, we need to encourage parents, educators, and students to be patient and consistent with its practice.
