The Imaginative Child - Development of Creativity in Children

Abstract

The constant flow of new products and information we
are faced with today demands us to be prepared for rapid
changes. To have creative skills becomes more and more
important in multiple areas of our lives, from solving
everyday problems to providing ideas and associational
thinking at work.

Some of our most important tools of creative thinking
are collected at an early age, when we develop in relation
to our surrounding conditions such as relationships,
education, society and products. To give children the
opportunity of evolving their creative skills is to give
them essential tools for the future.

Due to the structure of the school system, Swedish
children does today have a larger possibility to develop
their creative skills in their home environment,
according to Eva Hoff (adjunct lector in psychology at
Lund university). (1) The first years of school (starting
at the age of 6) is often a big transformation in life.
Although, this time is also very important for the
individual development and can for some serve as a
template for the next-coming years of education. During
the first years of elementary school it’s important to
provide children with a base for creative recreation and
source of inspiration which is constant.

“If children have the freedom to deciding what knowledge
they want, and what to do with it, the creative ability is
strengthened”. (2)

Matti Bergström (professor in physics and researcher
in brain science at Helsingfors university)

Since the products and situations triggering a child’s
imaginary creativity is individual and sometimes varied
from day to day, it’s important to provide children the
opportunity of choosing what things to interact with.
To inform the user of what possessions and opportunities
to activity that are available it’s also important to have
them visually displayed. This due to children often
forgetting about things in hidden drawers.

The final result is a peepshow cabinet providing the
child the possibility of storing his/her belongings is
shelfs and boxes and offering visual display of both 2D
and 3D belongings. The possibility is given to the child
to interact with his/her possessions, rearrange them, but
favourites in focus but also to bring them else where as
boxes can easily be taken out and carried.

The doors of the cabinet gives the child the choice to
close of impressions. The perforations in the doors gives
a glimpse of what’s inside and can inspire the child to
open up for creative stimulation.

The peepshow cabinet combines theese features in one
furniture, providing the child a possibility of finding
inspiration, privacy and access to belongings within the
doors of his/her personal space. The expectation with
this product is that the child shall find inspiration from
his/her own products and projects to devleop new ideas,
or to alter already existing ones.

The goal is also to, with the design, give a feeling of
personal space within the doors. A place where the
child feels that he/she can close off the world around
and go into his/her own world of products, ideas and
inspiration. A personal creative get away and imaginary
world hidden behind two doors.

The main part of this project was made during spring
2012. It was finalized during spring 2017.

1.http://www.academia.edu/2154917/Hoff_E._2010_._Lekfulla_barn_
blir_kreativa_vuxna._Tvärsnitt_3_14-17
2.http://www.lararnasnyheter.se/pedagogiska-magasinet/2010/05/07/
kreativt-kaos

• author: Fuchs, Frida
• supervisor: Charlotte Sjödell; Olof Kolte
• organization: Industrial Design
• course: IDEM05 20181
• year: 2017
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering; Arts and Architecture
• publication/series: Diploma work
• report number: LUT-DVIDE/EX-17/50385-SE
• language: English
• id: 8937554
• date added to LUP: 2018-03-21 14:15:39
• date last changed: 2018-03-21 14:33:21