It appears impossible but it’s true.
You can use creative arts to develop teamwork in children.
Teamwork is a collaborative skill used when more than one person is involved in doing the task together.
Remember the school plays? It’s a great example of teamwork. All the actors on stage, all the helpers backstage, the teachers – everyone worked tirelessly to create the final show.
It’s not easy to reach that sweet spot where everyone is working in tandem. It needs effort, hard work, clarity of thought, persistence and finally belief in the team that they are capable of creating something special together.
This can be a complicated concept to explain to the children. They do understand playing together but then you’ve also seen how it often ends in tears.
This concept of working together can be used in the classroom also by using creative arts.
Channelling the creativity of the students to develop and find expression while developing their life skills will make this knowledge a part of their character, their personality. And that’s the eventual goal for any parent.
For one of my classes, we had to make a poster for the display board. And it had to be made by the students. Big question – how do I get my 4-year-olds to work together and create something?
The plan was to ask each one of them to get a newspaper cutting of healthy food and stick it on the chart paper, creating a collage. Simple, right?
Believe me when I tell you that it took some strategic planning and coordination, along with some failed attempts and tears and second chances to get the work completed. The end result was the pride of every student.
But what they actually learnt was to collaborate, be cooperative. And that we got to see when the next class project came up. They were excited to form groups and work together.
They had learnt an important lesson, picked up a vital life skill, all while playing and doing an assignment in the classroom.
Also, creative arts are not dandy stuff. And are often overlooked or given passing attention. It needs focus, persistence and certain self-discipline if you want to excel. Music, dance, visual arts, drama, painting, pottery, sculpting, all are forms of creative arts which develop the fine motor skills along with creative thinking, experimenting and problem solving.
It’s easy to teach children about any life skills if it’s made fun and engaging, and not made into something profound or intense. If they enjoy the process, they’ll remember to use it again and again.
“Cooking Up Stories with Little Chefs” is available on
Amazon.com, Amazon.in, Flipkart.
A perfect book to keep your little ones busy during the long summer days. It’s got some exciting stories to read while they enjoy the dishes made following the easy to make recipes.