The “Power of Growth” in Origami Play (1) | Helping Parents Stay Energetic
Eldest daughter“Daddy! Here, this is for you! A lollipop!”
Mizuka“Whoa!? That’s amazing! Did you make all of this by yourself?”
Eldest daughter“Yeah! Doesn’t it look delicious?”
Mizuka“It sure does. The colors are beautiful. Did your teacher or friends at kindergarten teach you how to make it?”
Eldest daughter“I thought of it and made it all by myself!”
Eldest daughter“And this is a heart! Isn’t it cute?”
Mizuka“...Wow, that’s really impressive. This one is also skillful and cute.”
My eldest daughter, who will be five soon, has been picking up origami whenever she has free time for about the last year (it feels like a long time when I think about it), and she plays by making various things like lollipops, hearts, and donuts like this.
And she often gives them to me and my wife as presents.
I don’t know for sure what the reality is, but
“I thought of this myself!”
seeing her hand them to us so proudly, I feel genuinely impressed, and at the same time,
Ah, this child is surely growing up well right now
I also feel a sense of relief.
The difficulty of not knowing the results of what is happening right in front of you immediately
is probably one of the difficulties we parents face in raising children,one of the hardships of us parents raising children,
"You can't immediately see the results of the activities your child is engaged in right in front of you, nor can you tell if they are good or not."
No, if anything,
"Not only can you not see the results immediately, you might not even know until you die."
I think there are things that require you to spend a vast amount of time in that state.
It becomes necessary to "not know for sure, but to believe that 'this child is likely developing these skills right now.'" This is, you know, much harder and more difficult than you might think.
This is, you know, much harder and more difficult than you might think.
Unless parents themselves can consciously realize, 'Right now, my child is developing these skills,' they will
find it difficult to gain a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and peace of mind regarding that time,,
and I think a vague sense of anxiety, like 'Is this really okay?', tends to gradually pile up. I think that's what happens.
This vague anxiety is one of the “frays” in our daily lives with our children.
If left alone, it might tear into a large hole that becomes impossible to handle.
So, starting this time (or is it from now?), using what is happening right in front of us as a starting point,
firstly, so that we can reassure ourselves as parents,,
and also, so that we can feel convinced that our children are spending their time well, and remain parents who can continue to experience a sense of self-determination and accomplishment,
what kind of future does this time seem to be leading to?
What can we consider the “power of growth” that this time holds to be?
I would like to think about these things and summarize them.
Hello, I'm Mizuka.
I apologize for the late introduction.
I am a father who spends every day with my wife and our two daughters, one who will soon be 5 (in middle nursery school) and one who is 1.
I started a life this month where I unravel the little snags of daily life with children while writing on note.
The “Power of Growth” in Origami Play
Through the play of folding origami, the ability to concentrate and move one's hands, as well as the ability to imagine and recreate what one wants to make, are naturally nurtured, aren't they?
This time, I would like to organize the “power of growth” in children that can be seen through origami play.
While getting help from ChatGPT, I would also like to add learnings triggered by books and other content as I go along.
Since it looks like it will be quite long, I think I will divide it into several parts.
This is the first installment.
[First Half] The “Four Invisible Powers of Growth” that are hard to notice unless put into words
Origami is not just play; several powers are being nurtured at the same time, aren't they?
🎨① Creativity 🎨
“Creativity” when doing origami doesn't seem to be just about making original works.
I believe the very process of a child thinking, "Maybe this would be interesting," and turning their imagined vision into the form of origami is directly linked to the development of their creativity.
・The ability to give form to ideas
The ability to take what is imagined in the mind—"I want to fold it like this"—and turn it into the actual form of origami. If we define creativity as "the power to turn ideas into form," then it also leads to the child's own sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
・The ability to improvise and experiment
Instead of just following a sample, the attitude of experimenting while improvising in one's own way, thinking "maybe this would be interesting.".If we replace creativity with "the power to challenge and improvise," it becomes easier for parents to be conscious of it in daily life.
・The ability to discover new connections
Things like "let's make the animal's ears bigger" or "let's change how we fold the flower to use it as a decoration," which means combining existing folding methods with new ideas..It is also possible to view creativity as "the power to connect ideas together."
By playing with origami, "creativity" is nurtured.
In other words, it can be said that it is "the power to turn ideas into form," "the power to challenge and improvise," "the power to discover new connections," and "the power to connect ideas together." That is what it means.
*② Geometric Sense and Spatial Awareness*
When doing origami, children think, "If I fold this corner, will it become a triangle?" or "What shape will it be if I flip it over?" and are simulating the changes in shape within their minds.
This is an experience that is directly linked to what is called "geometric sense" and "spatial awareness," and it can be considered a foundation that supports future learning in mathematics and art.
・The ability to predict changes in shape
"If I fold here, will it become a triangle?" or "If I fold it in half, the square will get smaller." The ability to visualize changes in shape in the mind before folding. →
Leads to the basics of future mathematics and geometry learning..
・The ability to move what is seen with the eyes in the mind The ability to think, "If I move this corner here, how will it look?" while rotating or flipping the paper. →
Directly linked to geometry, map reading, and spatial design sense..・The ability to understand structure
The experience of "creating a 3D object from a flat plane," such as feeling how overlapping folds create a sense of depth. →
Can be associated with architecture, design, and craftsmanship skills.
.
By playing with origami, "geometric sense and spatial awareness" are nurtured.
In other words, it can be said that it is "the ability to predict changes in shape," "the ability to move what is seen with the eyes in the mind," and "the ability to understand structure." That is what it means.
💡 In a nutshell, what is the "power of growth" in origami play? 💡
I see.
The more I research, the more the keywords keep increasing, and conversely,
"So, what was it again?"
Since that might happen, let's wrap things up here for now.
We'll save the remaining two powers for the second half, next time.
For today, at least,
when your child is playing with origami,
remember that their 'creativity' and 'geometric sense/spatial awareness' are being nurtured right now!
if you can just remember that, it's enough—I think that's a good place to leave it.
And if you find yourself thinking,'What was "creativity" again?'or
'What was "geometric sense/spatial awareness" again?'
you can just come back to this note,and that should work.
I hope the world of everyone who read this note
becomesgentle and strongstarting right after today.
↓ I wrote the continuation.
↓ I reflected on my month of posting on note. If you've been engaging with note in your own way but are feeling a bit tired, please give this a read.
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