Dr. George Land and Beth Jarman were contacted by NASA to develop a creative test to measure the creative potential of NASA’s rocket scientists and engineers. The results were successful for NASA. They got the output they desired.

But the research raised more questions –

• Where does creativity come from?
• Are some people born with it or can it be learned or developed?
• Does it come with experience?

To get further answers to the above questions, the test was used to test the school children. The idea was to check the ability of children to come up with new, different and innovative ideas to the problems they faced.

The test was given to 1600 children between the age of 4 and 5. About 98% of the kids turned out to be creative geniuses. To take this research forward, the same kids were tested 5 years later when they turned 10. The result – only 30% kids were now in the genius category of creative problem solving. When the kids were tested at 15 years, the percentage dropped to 12%. Finally, when it was done with adults, sadly creative geniuses were only 2%!

To check the validity of these results, this test has been repeated more than a million times and the results have been consistent with 1-2% variation.

It is not fair to blame just the schools or the education system for the same. But as parents, we kill creativity in kids unknowingly. Here are a few examples, which you should be able to relate with –

• Do you stop children doing something, which might spoil their clothes?
• Do you do things on behalf of kids thinking they are too small for it?
• Do you shut the child by raising your voice?
• Do you impede on child’s expression when she is talking to herself?
• Do you hit the child if they don’t do something according to you?
• Is the child scared of you?
• If the kid jumps on you when you are in a bad mood/ in work, do you accommodate them or get upset?
• Do you allow a kid to complete their sentence or interrupt them thinking that you already understand what they mean?
• Do their creative drawings/ illustrations/ paintings look stupid to you?
• Do you stop them from doing things they derive a lot of joy from, because your house will get spoilt?
• When the child is stuck, what do you do? Do you do it for them? Or do you just give them ideas to get it done their ways?

These might seem very small things to us. But this is what gradually builds their creativity and problem-solving abilities. The kids need to explore on their own. They need to fail! Ultimately such experiences will build their self-belief which is the most important for their future.

Kids can surprise us with what they can do. Creativity is a born gift to every child on this planet. Whether we encourage them and nudge them to explore and be amongst 2% of the creative geniuses as adults or we take them towards losing their creativity and be amongst the 98% ordinary people is totally onto us. Our parenting and inputs are the key!

My strong belief is – in the coming few years, those who are creative geniuses are the ones who will lead the world. They are the kind of brains the world will be looking for and not those who can recite things as is!

Creative problem solving is the future! It is onto us as parents to decide whether our children will become a leaders or followers! If we, as parents subside the creative genius in our own children, it is as good as killing our own child.

P.S. – For those interested in seeing the TEDx video of George Land, click here!

References –

https://twentyonetoys.com/blogs/teaching-21st-century-skills/creative-genius-divergent-thinking

https://www.holisticservices.com.au/workplace-wellness/the-impact-of-creativity-in-the-workplace/

https://www.creativityatwork.com/can-creativity-be-taught/

https://creativityworkshop.com/articles/creative-geniuses