Kirsten O'Brien
New research by Elastoplast® reveals that over half of all parents believe their children don’t use their imagination and creativity in play as much as they did when they were young.
Much of a child’s behaviour is learnt from their environment and specifically from their parents. However, 61% of parents rely on schools, TV and computer games to encourage their child’s creative development.
"Parents are essential in encouraging their children’s creativity and imaginative thinking," says Kirsten O’Brien, CBBC presenter on children’s art show, SMart.
"We need to help parents engage with their children and inspire their creative energies. Children will always remember special shared experiences with their parents."
Elastoplast’s research found that while many parents would like to do more creative arts and crafts with their children, 3 in 4 feel they either don’t have the skills, or simply don’t have the time - leaving responsibility to others.
In response, Kirsten O’Brien, award winning children’s author Paul Geraghty and Elastoplast have teamed up to launch ‘Creative Kids’, a programme to encourage parents to stimulate their children’s imagination around the areas of story telling, art, and crafts.
Aimed at 5-8 year olds, the series of worksheets are available to download exclusively at elastoplaststories.co.uk. The activities support the key stage 1 curriculum and encourage parents to spend time with their children at home or on holiday.
Paul Geraghty, author of children’s stories The Hunter and Dinosaur in Danger says, "Creativity is an important part of every child’s development.
"Just like Maths and English, creativity needs training and encouraging. Creativity brings a life long pleasure if encouraged early and practiced through childhood."
The Elastoplast research also revealed dads in particular want to spend more time with their children yet only 1 in 5 has the time to read with their children every evening due to commitments at work. Reading together was the most popular parent / child activity.