PW invited parents of the Salwan Public School, Gurgaon, to share insights on how they encourage their children to think imaginatively and creatively

“We believe creativity and ingenuity play a major role in personality development. Therefore no matter how exhausted we are after a day’s work, we always encourage our nine-year-old daughter Kavya (class IV) and four-year old son Lakshit (nursery) to ask as many questions as they want to spark a debate so they can transform into creative thinkers who look beyond obvious solutions, a critical 21st century skill. Moreover since Kavya is extremely fond of art and dance in particular, we have enrolled her in a creative dance and drawing class after school hours. Sometimes she surprises us with her creative birthday cards and unique choreography.” — Renu Singla, homemaker

“In my opinion, children learn from their role models. I have raised my 17-year-old daughter Shailka (class XII) to become a creative individual and a critical thinker. Right through her formative years, she has won appreciation for doing things differently because I have always encouraged her. Today Shailka has overtaken me and is by far the best problem-solver in our family. She is never bored and comes up with exciting activities to do even on a rainy day.” — Manu Bhatnagar, self-employed

“We believe a stimulating learning environments at home can make a substantial difference to helping children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills from young age. Towards this end, we have transformed our home into a virtual classroom for our daughters — 15-year-old Sanya (class XI) and ten-year-old Soumya (class V). We encourage them to ask questions, not worry about making errors and come up with solutions to problems.” — Sheetal Chhikara, advocate

““We have made it a habit to have open-ended debates, quizzes and challenge competitions with my daughters Anamika (class XII) and Anushka (class IX) from early age. These are followed by small rewards for accomplishments. The idea is to give them the freedom to explore ideas and transform into confident, independent children unfazed by life’s many challenges. I am proud to say that brainstorming and problem-solving have become their forte.”— Ajay Kumar Srivastava, general manager, Riello Power India (P) Limited