Creativity and Kids

“It's not very beautiful is it?” We were painting little plaster Halloween creatures and this little four year old’s was multi-colored and multi-layered, hues blending to create new and different shades. 

When I hesitated, he put down the paintbrush held it up to show me and said again, “Nanny Cara, it's not very beautiful is it?” 

Turning his question back on him I asked, “Does it have to be?”

He frowned slightly and said, “Well, it’s not right.”

In my calmest voice with a smile on my face I replied, “Davey, it’s a Halloween creature.”

“A DEAD mummy” he interrupted, making me giggle, “You know, because MOMMY is alive”.

“Ah yes, a dead mummy Halloween creature. And, my love, it can be whatever you want it to be. There is no right. There is no wrong. There is only what you choose to create.”

He looked at me, then back at his creation, clearly unconvinced but also undeterred as he shrugged and picked the paintbrush back up to continue.

The creative process is beautiful. It's inspiring. It comes from deep within us. And for true creators. There is no right. There is no wrong. 

There is only the truth that comes out of us. 

Young children as early as four and six have somehow learned that the world has a prerequisite for what they are supposed to create. 

How it's supposed to look. 

The colors they're supposed to use.

The shapes they're supposed to draw. 

In my professional development workshops for classroom teachers I call this ‘process over product’ encouraging them to teach students that their vision matters more than the physical representation they create.

In the business world we say ‘progress over perfection’, encouraging each other (and ourselves) to ‘do it messy’; to put our work into the world before we think it’s ready.

Our kids are born without creative filters; it’s the world who squishes their little spirits.

 If a four year old already doubts himself, it’s safe to assume that you and I, strong mamas who work to ‘have it all together’, all the time, can be crippled by it, compromising your unique magic that you have to share with the world but dimming the light on your creative genius.

True creation doesn’t worry about what the world thinks. 

True inspiration does not care if someone likes or dislikes it. 

It comes from a place so deep within and that’s why it’s called a gift. 

When we create without limits ~ we are limitless. 

That’s why it’s perfect to welcome Marissa Llarena to the podcast.

Because as much as I champion fostering our kids creative play to explore their imagination, allowing it to flourish from their earliest years with permission instead of borders and boundaries…She's doing the exact same thing for you! 

Cara Tyrrell, M.Ed is mom to three girls, a Vermont based Early Childhood Educator, Collaborative Parenting Coach, and the founder of Core4Parenting. She is the passionate mastermind behind the Collaborative Parenting Methodology™, a birth-to-five, soul and science based framework that empowers toddler parents and educators  to turn tantrums into teachable moments. Through keynotes, teacher training, and her top-ranking podcast, Transforming the Toddler Years, she’s teaching the 5 Executive Functioning Skills kids need to navigate our ever-changing world.