The Active Creative Child

A handbook for coping, establishing realistic boundaries and avoiding labels when you have a inquisitive child. This book provides help for you to support a child's natural curiosity and energy; work with your child's energy; keep your own ego from interfering with your child's passion; avoid over-stimulation; and choose the best artistic outlets.

`Combining global examples of cases with practical solutions, this book will be of interest to anyone involved in child advocacy, from judges to probation officers′ - childRIGHT `The greatest achievement of this book may be its inspiration to those also willing to "swim against the tide" as child advocates... The authors are open about the practicalities of their work and the tensions they have experienced... their personal accounts contain gripping narratives of real attempts to improve situations for children′ - Adoption & Fostering This collection of original articles by an international team of contributors addresses a wide range of issues affecting children and youth such as: child labour; international child custody abduction; juvenile delinquency; child abuse and neglect; and date violence among teenagers. The innovative approaches proposed by the contributors to deal with these concerns include: creating a child advocacy centre within a private firm; litigation strategies; and developing a handbook that explains courts processes to abused children.

A groundbreaking guide to caring for children who live outside binary gender boxes We are only beginning to understand gender. Is it inborn or learned? Can it be chosen—or even changed? Does it have to be one or the other? These questions may seem abstract—but for parents whose children live outside of gender “norms,” they are very real. No two children who bend the “rules” of gender do so in quite the same way. Felicia threw away her frilly dresses at age three. Sam hid his interest in dolls and “girl things” until high school—when he finally confided his desire to become Sammi. And seven-year-old Maggie, who sports a boys’ basketball uniform and a long blond braid, identifies as “a boy in the front, and a girl in the back.” But all gender-nonconforming children have one thing in common—they need support to thrive in a society that still subscribes to a binary system of gender. Dr. Diane Ehrensaft has worked with children like Felicia, Sam, and Maggie for over 30 years. In Gender Born, Gender Made, she offers parents, clinicians, and educators guidance on both the philosophical dilemmas and the practical, daily concerns of working with children who don’t fit a “typical” gender mold. She debunks outmoded approaches to gender nonconformity that may actually do children harm. And she offers a new framework for helping each child become his or her own unique, most gender-authentic person.

The postwar American stereotypes of suburban sameness, traditional gender roles, and educational conservatism have masked an alternate self-image tailor-made for the Cold War. The creative child, an idealized future citizen, was the darling of baby boom parents, psychologists, marketers, and designers who saw in the next generation promise that appeared to answer the most pressing worries of the age. Designing the Creative Child reveals how a postwar cult of childhood creativity developed and continues to this day. Exploring how the idea of children as imaginative and naturally creative was constructed, disseminated, and consumed in the United States after World War II, Amy F. Ogata argues that educational toys, playgrounds, small middle-class houses, new schools, and children’s museums were designed to cultivate imagination in a growing cohort of baby boom children. Enthusiasm for encouraging creativity in children countered Cold War fears of failing competitiveness and the postwar critique of social conformity, making creativity an emblem of national revitalization. Ogata describes how a historically rooted belief in children’s capacity for independent thinking was transformed from an elite concern of the interwar years to a fully consumable and aspirational ideal that persists today. From building blocks to Gumby, playhouses to Playskool trains, Creative Playthings to the Eames House of Cards, Crayola fingerpaint to children’s museums, material goods and spaces shaped a popular understanding of creativity, and Designing the Creative Child demonstrates how this notion has been woven into the fabric of American culture.

Taking a fresh look at the role of creativity within the early years, this accessible guide explores what is meant by creativity and considers how creative skills, behaviours, and thinking can be identified and fostered in the individual child. Underpinned by the latest research and policy, chapters illustrate how creative attitudes can be adopted in all subject areas, and opportunities for creativity maximised. Creative Learning in the Early Years acknowledges the power of creative processes in helping children reach their full potential in the early years and beyond. Photocopiable work tools enable the reader to plan, observe, assess, and record progress as they develop playful and creative approaches, whilst practical advice and demonstrable examples are easily integrated into existing practice. Topics addressed include: recognising and encouraging creative tendencies stimulating the child’s imagination developing adult creativity and self-awareness creating enabling environments and creative spaces using documentation and planning to inspire creativity. An exciting and accessible guide which encourages exploration, experimentation, reflection, and development, Creative Learning in the Early Years will support current and future early years practitioners as they discover the rich opportunities opened by creative practice.

Winner of the 2015 Parent's Choice Award The perfect starting point for creative play, this is the ultimate book of ideas for arts and crafts, building and tinkering, writing and rhyming, singing and dancing, and more! For parents who don't feel they are creative, this book provides an easy entry point for raising creative kids. Creativity is an essential ingredient for a happy childhood, and this is the ultimate collection of ideas for arts and crafts, building and tinkering, writing and rhyming, singing and dancing, and more! With 500 unplugged, hands-on activities for children ages two to twelve, this book goes beyond the simple arts and crafts found in most kids’ creativity books and offers fun ideas for a generous range of imaginative and creative play—all in one giant book. You have the power to encourage creativity in your child’s daily life, whether you feel creative yourself or not. This book is your guide for being a creativity mentor, your handbook for raising kids rich with creative habits and skills, and your toolbox full of ideas and activities. So say YES to creativity! Encourage your child to dabble in all kinds of activities, and discover the magic and beauty of imagination.