JEDDAH, 28 February 2005 — More than 1,500 parents and educators attended the first sessions of the Creative Childhood Conference at the Prince Bandar Festival Hall in Dar Al-Hekma College in Jeddah on Saturday for a series of lectures and workshops aimed to ignite the imaginative spark in youngsters and those who rear and teach them.
The first day’s program was organized by Al-Ibtikar Private School in Jeddah, and Princess Maha Al-Faisal delivered the keynote speech, “What is the purpose of creativity?”
The princess discussed the challenges created by materialism to the art of quiet contemplation. “Genius is not an extraordinary gift; however, a genius is a distinctive person who fulfills the soul,” the princess said.
A number of lectures and workshops followed that were prepared and presented by education specialists from the Gulf and the greater Arab world. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khalifi, general supervisor of the Private Education Establishment in Kuwait, spoke about child creativity and the tools a creative child needs to develop that gift.
“A child needs to have a space of freedom not exceeding the limits of respect and politeness,” Al-Khalifi said. “Imaginative play is a way to develop his or her creativity.”
He also identified some features that distinguish a creative child. “A creative child is a hyperactive child,” Al-Khalifi said. “Excessive boredom and resistance to authority is a sign of this creativity.”
Al-Khalifi said these factors can create problems for youngsters and suggested ways parents could stimulate that creativity.
Mustafa Majthoub discussed the Abjad system of teaching Arabic letters. It is the first complete system to teach the Arabic language using the unique Abjad letters in a way that overcomes difficulties learning the alphabet.
Nasiba Al-Mutawi’, founder and head of the Help Your Muslim Brother Anywhere Committee in Kuwait, lectured about self-management and presented a workshop titled “Setting values in kindergarten and elementary.” Others who presented materials included Dr. Ali Al-Hammadi, who led the workshop “Our children and creative thinking.”
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Hurr, manager of the Arabic Center for Pedagogic Training in Arab Gulf Countries, will deliver two lectures during the event.
Dr. Abdullah Abdul Mu’ti led a workshop called “How to make a creative child in a year,” which suggests a method of stimulating creativity through daily activities, including respecting the questions youngsters pose and encouraging play that contributes to mental development.
Dr. Mureed Al-Klab presented a workshop for teachers. An exhibit featuring educational tools and instructional materials designed to help parents and teachers ignite youngsters’ creative sparks runs concurrently with the conference.
