Did you know that kids growing up in the 21st century are actually more creative than children from earlier generations? Social critics have argued that video games and technology make children less creative. However, this claim is not supported by the research of one of the leading experts on creativity in the country, Sandra Russ, a professor at Case Western University. Russ has studied creativity in children’s play since the 1980s and believes that children’s creative skills have increased. While we cannot attribute this directly to their opportunities to use technology and play video games to promote creativity, the data certainly suggest that 21st century children may have more opportunities for creativity than children had in the past.
[cjphs_content_placeholder id=”68679″ random=”no” ]The best way to promote creativity is to provide children with the opportunities and materials needed to explore their world. Art supplies, walks in nature, visits to a museum, and listening to music are among the opportunities to nurture the creative spirit. You might also find that certain types of video games, apps, and technologies can nurture a child’s creative soul. While we certainly do not recommend that you limit your child’s creativity to how he can use video games and apps, there are many technologies that are powerful in improving creative skills.
Here are some of our favorites:
Scratch is a suite of interactive media creation tools designed by MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group. Consisting primarily of an easy-to-use coding language and a user-friendly drag and drop interface, Scratch lets kids create their own animations, stories, programs, and even games from, as the name would imply, scratch. Learn more in our Scratch review.
Instagram is a fun tool for sharing classic or quirky looking photos instantly. The app has many different filter effects to choose from, allowing users to make their photos more unique and interesting and archives pictures like a blog space, where users can see the collection of all their photos, and can also follow photo streams of other users. Find out more in our Instagram review.
Tumblr is a social blogging tool that allows users to create a unique online space that is all their own. Users can follow other bloggers, and easily reblog their posts to have them appear on their own page. Post traditionally consist of user curated imaged, videos, text, quotes, and more. Read more in our Tumblr review.
Minecraft is an open-world game unlike any other. Players are placed in a borderless, randomly generated land with no supplies, directions, or objective. It is up to them to decide what to do and how to do it. Players collect materials from the world around them in order to ‘craft’ items and build whatever their mind can imagine. Find out more in our Minecraft review.
