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Design Education and Creative Development for Children

A childish creative chaos, with puzzle pieces sporadically visible throughout the house, nicely drawn flowers on the wallpaper, paper aircraft tucked under the furniture, etc. Almost all parents of preschoolers are familiar with this image. An expert who also provides college papers for sale will explain the advantages of using puzzles, paper origami, and coloring books in beginner-level sessions as well as how to set them up effectively.

At age 3, learning to read and count does not ensure a child will receive a high-quality education and achieve success. Knowledge alone is not sufficient in the era of information and digital technologies. Do you recall the interns' school "leading hand" and "leading eye" tests? We learned who is creative and who thinks logically from their results, i.e., we found the dominant way of thinking. When the left hand is in charge, the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for creativity, is said to be working more actively, and vice versa. Let's paraphrase the proverbial saying, "One head is excellent, but two (meaning two hemispheres) are better," and we'll support the growth of our child's logical and creative faculties.


Design education

A young person needs to learn how to acquire knowledge autonomously through emotional and creative cognition in addition to how to receive and store it.

Design education is based on lessons that allow learning about the world around us through abstract thinking, spatial vision, color, and emotional perception. Its goal is to improve the brain's creative capacity. To put it simply, the child creates the appropriate image on his or her own using design techniques rather than receiving ready-made knowledge and its illustration (color, emotion, material, size, proportion).


Learning simply at home

Every home has the resources necessary for design education. Additionally, you don't need to hold a design professional certification to begin this study.

For example, we can teach a child this way: here is a tree, it has a trunk and a root, a crown of branches and leaves (show a picture). Alternatively, we can use a puzzle, a coloring book, or a paper doll to introduce the child to the information. While engaging in these activities, the kid begins to recognize the tree for what it is: a large, sturdy tree with varied-colored leaves, limbs of varying lengths, and a volumetric crown.

In order to avoid "creative" clutter, you should first set up a child's space for work. It should be a table and chair that are appropriate for the child's size, placed in an area of the room that is well-ventilated and illuminated. It will be beneficial if he has access to a shelf or cabinet that has the necessary supplies and tools. A child needs to have a sense of control over his "office." Additionally, he will establish a habit of maintaining responsibility for his work area and order this manner.


Jigsaw puzzle

Introduce the child to the image, demonstrate how it fell apart, and ask how to restore it or choose its components (by color, by the shape of modules, edges, or contours).

It is best to start children's puzzles with large, simple puzzles that have two to five pieces and feature a single item. This can be a collection of images with a common theme, such as a collection of dominoes with each bone being a two-piece puzzle or a collection of images featuring toilets, fruits, vegetables, or animals. A folding picture for kids should be of high quality, with sturdy construction (thick cardboard or wood without a strong odor), an unobstructed image, a familiar storyline, and a pleasing color scheme.

Complicate the work gradually (starting at age 3), making the components smaller and the plot more complex (illustrations of fairy tales, landscapes, reproductions). Instead of doing the child's task for them, try to simply instruct them on where to look for the proper piece rather than what to place where. Encourage figurative and spatial thinking in the child, as well as reasoning and analysis.

Try to increase the level of difficulty and complete three-dimensional (3D) puzzles after 4 or 5 years, or at age 6. This improves spatial perception. Similar to flat graphics, use huge, tiny modules (a bird, a fish, a house), as well as large-scale compositions with numerous pieces (dinosaur skeletons, castles, machinery). A puzzle may be put together at any age—even as young as one and a half—and is a fun hobby for all ages.


Origami

Keep in mind paper clip boxes, flying airplanes, ships in a puddle, leaping frogs on the table, and flowers on March 8. All of these fascinating origami are simple to make with one's own hands. To create an airplane, simply fold a flat piece of paper a few times. Start the lesson off with some simple origami. The "accordion" is put together using a rectangle, square, line, fold in half, and a bent corner. Perform the simplest operations:

  • from a rectangle - a square, cut off the excess;
  • from a square - a rectangle (fold in half, fix the fold line with your fingers);
  • again from a rectangle - a square (bend in half);
  • wrap the free corner to the center, it will be the mouth, finish the eyes, nose and now there is a funny face. Depending on the color of the paper, it will be a frog or a fox. Further, the child will quickly figure out the scheme of actions himself, and a whole theater of little animals-muzzles will soon appear in your house.

Paper manipulation exercises help in the development of spatial vision, logical and creative thinking, fine motor skills, "eye gauge" training, and geometry proficiency. Use the above items in recognizable patterns rather than attempting to construct a swan out of hundreds of separate components at once. Allow your child to bend and fold freely. Keep in mind the pedagogical maxim that a child's mind is at his disposal.


Coloring book

There are many coloring books, albums, posters, computer games, and even wallpaper. There are easy (fruits, vegetables, and animals) and themed activities for older kids, divided into sections for boys and girls. Work, codes, and puzzles can make coloring creatively more difficult. There are several options. Choose a high-quality paper with a pleasing, recognizable design and a distinct outline.

It is advisable to begin coloring with distinct huge things for young children. Avoid images of sophisticated electronics or highly detailed transformers. Choose pictures related to their immediate environment (home, nature), well-known fairy tales (read or watched), societal roles (family, professions), and images of commonplace machinery.

In the process, the little creator learns colors and shades, their combinations, and emotional impact. Girls who enjoy coloring princesses are good at understanding basic outfit combinations and fashion. Boys who are constructing the next race car show their aspirations in color and even in how they handle tools. This simple yet incredibly beneficial practice helps kids focus, be diligent, and be patient, while also fostering creative thinking, fine motor skills, memory, and imagination, and preparing the hand for writing.


Rebuses

At age 4, the child is still energetic, but he is also more sedentary and frequently requests to play board games with his parents. One of these games might be categorized as puzzle solving.

A rebus is a puzzle in which a series of images, numbers, symbols, or letters codes the words. Children learn to think creatively and develop their memory and logic skills through rebuses. You can learn reading skills with their help. Many children enjoy solving this puzzle if it is designed with their age in mind.