“You can make anything by writing”- C S LEWIS
I read this quote long back but I started believing in it when I saw my little girl create her own world of happiness. Two years back when my daughter was four years old we got posted to a different city and that is when I realized that even kids of this tender age suffer from temper tantrums and separation anxiety. When my daughter got separated from her close friends, being merely four years old she wasn’t able to understand what was wrong with her; and as parents too, we understood quite late that she was suffering from emotional distress which had started manifesting itself in the form of physical sickness.
She would most of time remain cranky, became overly clingy, eat very little or nothing at all and then started suffering from recurrent cough, cold & headaches. As advised by doctors, we then tried to divert her mind through many different ways. Out of the many activities we introduced her to; she particularly liked creating stories and drawing pictures. These activities gave her a break from distressing thoughts. The positive mental engagement helped her recover better from physical sickness. She would everyday tap into a “state of flow”- being totally engrossed in her world of colors and imaginary characters from her stories.
It was just then that the world was hit by COVID-19. My daughter loved narrating stories to her classmates and making cards for her teachers but with COVID-19 scare the schools got shut down. Once again a little bit of her world of happiness got chipped. Thankfully through social media I came across wizkidscarnival- a creative platform for kids. I encouraged her to participate in various contests just to keep her creative flame alive and refocus mentally towards online expression of her thoughts in the form of short speeches or stories.
To my surprise she not only enjoyed participating but also got motived to try other forms of art like singing & reciting poems (by looking at videos by other kids). At a very young age she started becoming more focused towards goals and putting extra effort in her art; and wanted to meet deadlines too! Some people may consider this as “stress”; but with my personal experience I can say for sure that this kind of “positive stress” allows kids to build their inner strengths and skills, adapt to changes, face challenges, and gain confidence.
Today my daughter is six years old and it is very seldom that we now hear- “I’m getting bored” and what we hear more frequently is – “What should I draw, what topic can I write a story on, what song could I practice, what poem can I recite…..”
Creativity can create wonders in child development both mentally and physically. It is this fascinating pool of creativity which I wish for every child and my only advice would be- DON’T BE AFRAID TO JUMP IN!
By Namita Karat
Shruti Divecha
Shruti Divecha is a professional writer for various newspapers, magazines and online publications. She writes feature and lifestyle articles, reviews, travel, mythology and GK nuggets. She also writes for a pan India Braille magazine. She has an MBA and a Masters degree in Animation and Design, both from USA. Additionally she is a qualified Steiner Education teacher, a certified Jolly Phonics and a Jolly Grammar educator. Before choosing the writing profession, Shruti was heading the graphic and textile design department in her mother’s Home Furnishings Export House and Factory.
The company was one of top exporters of soft furnishing’s and made-ups in India having clients like large European Departmental stores. She currently is a full time educator and conducts classes for children in Creative writing and English Enrichment. You can connect with her at www.shrutidivecha.com
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