The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.
– Julia Cameron

“We want to dismantle the notion that learning is linear and question the premise of step-up achievement, in which children must perform and meet outcomes to be acknowledged and respected and in which the child who acts according to adult expectations is favored over the child with independent and creative ideas.” So write Miriam Beloglovsky and Jessica Frazier in their book, Revisiting Journeys: Understanding How Children Reflect, Reimagine, and Redesign Their Play and Learning.

“We have found that learning halts when a routine or activity is designed to elicit compliance. For instance, requiring children to line up to go outdoors takes too long and infringes on children’s outdoor time. Completing an adult-designed craft limits children’s creativity and stunts their imagination. These disruptive routines and activities not only hinder learning but also create tension and distrust between educators and children. They encourage educators to focus on ensuring that children line up or perfectly construct the craft instead of encouraging more effective and safe transition routines and more creative art explorations.

“We want to demonstrate that daily practices grounded in an authentic understanding of child development and in curiosity to see what children will do leads to higher growth and development. We believe that learning needs to be meaningful and joyful. Children are naturally curious and need adults to create safe and nurturing environments where their curiosity can thrive.”

In a recent article in Exchange Community Voices, Frazier and Beloglovsky write about giving children the time they need to test and retest ideas. “Children’s creative processes are often rushed or interrupted in the pursuit of completion. When we value only the final product, we miss the depth of their thinking, hypotheses, questions, and evolving strategies for understanding the world.”