Creativity and innovation are among the most useful skills today, at school and in working life. They can be developed from an early age. Here are practical ideas to encourage them in your child, from primary school to higher education.
Creativity and innovation: what are we talking about?
Creativity is the ability to come up with new ideas that suit a situation. Innovation goes one step further: it turns those ideas into concrete solutions that are tested and improved.
Both rely on skills that can be learned:
- observing and asking questions;
- imagining several answers before choosing one;
- connecting knowledge from different fields;
- trying, making mistakes, adjusting.
Creative intelligence, a form of intelligence in its own right
In the 1980s, the American psychologist Robert Sternberg proposed a three-part theory of intelligence: analytical, practical and creative. Creative intelligence is the ability to deal with new situations and invent ways to solve them.
Like all theories of intelligence, this one is debated by researchers. Still, it is a useful reminder: success depends on more than the abilities that school assesses most. To find out more, read our article on the 8 forms of intelligence and their impact on schooling.
What schools provide in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation
In the common core curriculum (tronc commun) introduced by the Pact for Excellence in Teaching, creativity is explicitly part of what pupils learn. The cross-curricular area “creativity, commitment and entrepreneurial spirit” aims to turn ideas into actions and concrete projects.
Cultural and artistic education also gains a stronger place, with the aim of offering every pupil a cultural and artistic education pathway (PECA) throughout their schooling. At home, you can build on this work in simple ways.
Creating an environment where children dare
Creativity thrives where you can suggest an idea without fear of being judged. That is true in the classroom, and it is true at home.
- Welcome ideas: before correcting, ask “How did you think of that?”.
- See mistakes as a step: an idea that fails often teaches more than a right answer found at the first attempt.
- Leave free time: a moment without screens or plans is often when ideas are born.
- Set up a corner of their own: paper, pencils, craft materials or building bricks, within easy reach.
On how screens affect attention and free time, see also our article on the impact of social media on students’ lives.
Encouraging experimentation and exploration
Innovation comes from trying. Rather than giving step-by-step instructions, set an open challenge and let your child look for their own solutions.
A few ideas by age:
- Primary: build a paper bridge that holds a book, invent the rest of a story, measure the rain that falls in a week.
- Secondary: carry out a small science experiment and record the results, make a short video report, program a simple game.
- Higher education: run a personal project linked to your studies, take part in a competition or a community project.
This kind of project-based learning develops creativity, as well as self-confidence and perseverance.
Crossing subjects
New ideas often come from two fields meeting. That is the principle of the STEAM approach, which combines science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
In practice, a single project can draw on several subjects. Designing a poster for a school fair calls for language (the message), maths (the proportions), drawing and sometimes a little IT. By making these links, your child learns to look at a problem from several angles.
Collaborating and sharing ideas
Innovation rarely grows in isolation. Working with others teaches children to combine ideas, discuss them respectfully and build a shared solution.
- suggest cooperative board games or building games for several players;
- hold small family brainstorms, for example to plan an outing;
- encourage your teenager to take part in group work, a club or a youth movement;
- have your child talk with adults who work in a variety of jobs.
Are you a student? Develop your creativity
In higher education, creativity becomes a real asset: personal assignments, thesis, group projects, internships. A few habits help:
- write down your ideas as soon as they come, in a notebook or an app;
- use mind maps to connect the concepts of a course;
- start each assignment from the question before looking for the answer;
- alternate periods of focused work with breaks, when the mind makes connections.
Creativity and success at school go hand in hand
Creativity and rigour complement each other. A pupil who understands a subject in depth can play with its concepts, and a pupil who dares to explore remembers better. A good study method leaves room to think, question and create.
If your child is stuck in a subject, frustration quickly stifles the urge to explore. The right support can help them regain confidence.
My Sherpa offers private tutoring at home anywhere in Belgium, or online, since 2003. An educational advisor chooses the coach based on your child’s needs and personality, to help them progress at their own pace.
