Let your baby experience new sights and sounds both indoors and outdoors. Stahl, A. E., & Feigenson, L. (2015). Observing the unexpected enhances infants’ learning and exploration. Science, 348(6230), 91-94. Kiewra, C., & Veselack, E. (2016). Playing with Nature: Supporting Preschoolers’ Creativity in Natural Outdoor Classrooms. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 4(1), 70–95.
Curiosity and creative exploration are fuelled when children encounter new things that behave in unexpected ways. Studies with infants and preschoolers also demonstrate that children’s curiosity is fuelled by uncertainty and conflicting evidence.1 One study found that when infants ssaw something surprising, such as a ball passing through a solid wall, they focused more on that object and learned more about it by testing relevant hypotheses about the object’s surprising behaviour, such as by banging the ball to test if it was solid.1 Hence, caregivers who give their children time to explore novel objects, or expose them to familiar environments with some changes, can help develop their creativity and problem-solving abilities.
Outdoor environments provide many novel multi-sensory experiences for babies to explore and this exploration helps build creativity.
Read more at AL-CRE-C01 & AL-CRE-C03.