
Speaking to us after her first ever drawing workshop at Today at Apple in conjunction with The Big Draw initiative, artist and illustrator Paula Pang shares with us how parents can encourage children to be more creative.
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#1 Allow children to be children
While it’s a time for discipline to be enforced, rules may end up inhibiting their imagination. “Sometimes we end up enforcing too many rules on them but creativity is about allowing them to imagine and explore,” shares Paula.
#2 See, Touch and Feel
“Children are used to technology these days, but sometimes we can expose them to nature so that they are able to observe what’s around them like different colours and texture,” comments Paula. Interacting with physical items allows children to develop tactile memory, and becomes a learning experience in itself. Asking questions like “how does this feel?” or “Is it hot or cold? Rough or smooth?” can also allow children to learn how to express themselves.
#3 A family that draws together…
Mobile devices often get a bad reputation for being distracting and disruptive to a child’s development but there are many ways the same devices can nurture creativity. Demonstrating how to customise your own creatures at her workshop, many children are accompanied by their parents to learn how to draw on the iPad. “The iPad is a great tool for drawing, but it’s not just about shoving the iPad into their hands and asking them to entertain themselves.,” says Paula. “Creative parents often end up having creative children because they are involved in their creative journey, but that’s not to say that if you are not creative, your children won’t be. They can walk down a creative journey with them, and it’s really important to have parents there along the way.”
For the month of October, Apple Singapore will be hosting drawing workshops on the weekends. Don’t worry if you don’t own an iPad or Pencil as they will have devices available for loans. Check out Today at Apple for more information.
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