Yesterday evening, my daughter pulled out old clay, a few bottle caps, and some dal from the kitchen. “Cupcakes for snacks today,” she said, arranging them neatly on a plate. One even had a shirt button stuck on top.
I started to correct her but stopped. She looked at me and said, “Amma, mine are different ones.”. I just smiled. She meant it.
That’s when it hit me. She wasn’t trying to be “creative.”. She just believed in her idea. That belief—that “of course I can do this”—is what I now understand as creative confidence.
The Difference I See Every Day
Every child starts with creativity. They sing at random, mix crayons till everything turns brown, and tell wild stories about ghosts in the fan. Somewhere along the way, between all our “good job” and “not like that,” something changes. They stop doing things just for fun. They start checking faces for approval.
We always talk about why creativity is important, and it is. But it doesn’t survive without belief. A confident child may fail ten times and still go back to try again. Can we as parents let them try again and again, without jumping to help them, stop them, or do it for them?.
What is Creative Curriculum in Early Childhood Education?
I used to think ‘what is creative curriculum in early childhood education’—is it just ‘marketing gyan’ or sales stuff pushed by schools to increase admissions?.
But then I sat in my daughter’s classroom one morning. The teacher didn’t show a chart. She gave them mud and seeds. They played, planted, and spilled water. It looked messy, but every child knew what roots do by the end.
That’s what this curriculum really means—learning through curiosity. A creative early childhood approach doesn’t chase perfection. It lets kids touch, try, and think.
At a school like Kangaroo Kids Preschool, children build their own “ideas.”. I saw one boy line up blocks and call it a train station. No one corrected him. That small freedom is what teaches problem-solving better than any worksheet ever can.
The Quiet Role of Confidence
When my daughter paints, she starts strong. The moment I say, “Careful, it’ll smudge,” her hand slows. Her confidence will go out of the window from the next stroke.
I remember once when my 4-year-old nephew had come down to Mumbai for vacations, he sat and leisurely started pulling the long, thin tape silently from an old cassette he had found. He was making a ‘nest’ for a pigeon who had been our daily guest. He wanted to make a special home for the pigeon family. We actually used it and it worked.
That’s how creativity works—when adults don’t keep using the word ‘no’ for everything!.
How to Encourage Creativity in Kids
Parents keep asking how to encourage creativity in kids when we are so tied for time. I’ve realised it’s not about big projects. It’s about stepping back.
1. Don’t Rush to Correct
My daughter once drew our family as stick figures with huge heads. I almost said, “Heads can’t be that big.”. Before I could, she said, “Amma, our heads are big because we think a lot.”. Fair point. I’ve stopped correcting since.
2. Let Boredom Do Its Job
One Sunday, with no screens, she turned two chairs and a bedsheet into a tent city. She served us imaginary dosas. Boredom isn’t the problem like most of us think. It’s actually the start of imagination.
3. Praise the Trying
When she shows me something, I now say, “You really worked on this,” instead of “This is pretty.”. The first makes her eyes light up.
Why Creativity is Important, But Confidence Runs the Show
Yes, why creativity is important is clear—it helps children think, imagine, and connect dots. But it’s confidence that keeps those dots alive.
Think of school group projects. There’s always one child bursting with ideas, explaining loudly, and another whispering the same idea to a friend. Same imagination, different courage. Confidence decides who gets heard. That belief—“I can say this, I can try this”—is planted early.
Teachers Make All the Difference
The good ones know when NOT to step in.
In one class I visited, children were building cities out of cartons. A bridge kept collapsing. The teacher didn’t fix it. She just asked, “Why do you think it’s falling?”. The kids guessed, tried again, and added tape. When it finally stood, they screamed in joy.
That’s what creative development in early childhood looks like. The lesson isn’t engineering; it’s patience. I’ve also seen a teacher clap for a crooked clay pot and say, “Yours looks like a windy day.”. That one sentence built more confidence than ten stickers ever could.
At Home, Chaos Helps
In Indian homes, we like tidy shelves, folded clothes, and neat handwriting. But creative confidence hates order. It lives in the mess.
One night, while I folded laundry, my daughter piled everything into a mountain. “Let’s climb,” she said. For ten minutes, we did. She named it “Mount Bedsheet.”. I’d rather have laughter and imagination than perfect cupboards.
Building Confidence at Kangaroo Kids
Creativity gives colour. Confidence gives direction.
If you want a place where children learn both, Kangaroo Kids International Preschool does that beautifully. Their classrooms are full of chatter, questions, and messy joy—the kind that turns ideas into something real.
And maybe one day, when our kids face the world, that same quiet voice inside them will whisper, “It’s okay. I’ll try.”.
