Tiny Humans with Big Brains

I’ve been around kids my whole life. I become a kid magnet whenever I’m at a party or event! I don’t know what it is! Maybe I have a “come and play with me” vibe? I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure: I love kids. They’re just so much fun to goof around with (plus you can sit out of party drama and just watch the show). Yes, they can be annoying, frustrating, and downright... ugh. But just when they get too much to handle, they surprise you. Somehow, kids have a quality that many adults don’t have, which is creativity! Whenever they get creative and present ridiculous ideas, we dismiss them as just “being childish”. So, what if we follow their lead and “be childish” too? I mean, it couldn’t hurt, could it? 

Another Saturday, another blog entry! This is my eleventh post! Kudos to me! Okay, back to the actual topic: kids and creativity. Why did I choose to write about this out of the blue? I volunteered at a daycare for a week, and let’s just say that there were a few things that I still can’t get my head around. 

It was nothing fancy; my job was to take care of the children while the teacher was away, send them home during carpool, and clean up at the end of the day. I immediately became used to the routine. Supervise, play, and clean; nothing I wasn’t unfamiliar with. But the kids were... difficult at first. Every time I would ask how their day was going or what they were playing, they would just shy away or ignore me. I thought I was a kid magnet! What went wrong? 

Eventually, I decided it was best to just supervise most of the time instead of playing alongside them. You can imagine that it was a bit boring to just sit on my phone for four hours a day, but it gave me time to listen in on the small conversations among the kids.  

“The racetrack is built, Benjamin!” 

“Okay! Let me get cars.” 

Eric and Benjamin were playing with the racetrack and cars. This seemed like my moment to insert myself so I could play along! But, of course, I couldn’t go too easy on them. 

“Hey guys! Do you mind if I play along?” 

They both were a bit skeptical at first, but it wasn’t anything that baby eyes and a little persuasion couldn’t fix. 

“Benjamin, bring fuel tank too. Cars need gas!” 

Before Benjamin could reach the tubby with all the toy car accessories, I stepped in and blocked it away from him. 

“Oh no! We don’t have any fuel left in the whole world! What can we do? We still need to get the cars to the racetrack!” 

Looking back, it might not have been the nicest thing to do as part of my first impression, but I was just trying to spice up the game! I thought Benjamin and I would try to fight me to get to the tubby and the ice between us would break. But I did not expect what came next. 

“Oh... Eric, we have no fuel!” 

“Then let’s make new fuel!” 

“What will we use? Rocks?” 

“No, rock is hard. Water?” 

“Yes! We can get yellow water. Mix water with yellow sand.” 

“Miss, do you have water and yellow sand?” 

I was in shock. Since when do kids fix problems by talking instead of pulling and shoving? Also, the way that they found a solution was... mind-blowing. Honestly, I don’t think I can sit and think through a problem like that now! What blew me away was how calmly the two toddlers handled the situation. I know toddlers are tiny human beings who need help washing their hands and everything, but I didn’t know exactly how creative they are.  

A whole sixty seconds passed before I told the two that I wouldn’t give them water and sand to play with. This time, Eric and Benjamin did fight me... At least I broke the ice. 

The next day, I decided to try the “act like a child and create obstacles on purpose” approach again. This time, though, I was going to a tea party.  

“Oh, Melinda! Lady Glittersparkles needs more tea!” 

“I coming, Lady Glittersparkles! Cake is still cooking in fridge.” 

Yes, she said “cooking in fridge”. Lady Glittersparkles was a plushy doll with a removable jacket, so, before Melinda could see me, I took the jacket off and hid it in my bag. 

“Melinda, Lady Glittersparkles and I are very cold! See, look! We are shivering. Burrrrr!” 

“Oh no! Where is jacket?” 

“I don’t know!” 

She immediately ran around the playroom. She asked her friends and looked... concerned. Like she wanted to do something quick to save me (or maybe it was for Lady Glittersparkles). It was still touching. I felt a little guilty, but I let it play out for a little bit longer to see if she could think of something to do.  

“Here. Take my jacket.”  

She handed me her jacket. “Thank you, Melinda. But it’s too small for me and too big for Lady Glittersparkles! What will you do?"

I wanted to see if Melinda could think of something creative. It was crushing me inside to see her struggle a little, but I was determined. Then, she did something... unexpected, let’s say. 

“Sit on big beanbag. DON’T MOVE.” 

I didn’t question her. Just as she said it, she disappeared. I didn’t know what she was doing, and playtime was almost over. I debated getting up and telling her that it was just pretend, but then she came back dragging the big stuffed animal bucket. Before I could object or even move, she dumped the whole bucket on my head (she is one strong five-year-old)! 

“Stuffies will keep Lady Glittersparkles warm. Oh, you too.” 

I’m glad the stuffies covered my face. I was tomato red (I knew everything was for Lady Glittersparkles)! But the idea of piling stuffies on top of me to keep me warm was... ridiculously great. I didn’t think of that myself! At the end of the day, I thanked Melinda and told her to never lose that empathetic and creative side of her. 

This makes me wonder where all this creativity went. These kids didn’t eat special food or drink a special baby formula. They were just... kids! Kids with unburdened intelligence, empathy, and spirit. If we were once like these kids, then why don’t we use that kind of childish creativity anymore? What’s stopping us? 

Whatever the reason may be, let’s move past it! I mean, just think of what we could do if we let an ounce of that creativity, spirit, and determination into the work we do. Hover cars? Mind-reading AI? All the crazy things that we once dreamt of might just be reality! 

So, what have we learned at the end of the day? Kids aren’t just tiny humans; they are tiny humans with big brains! 

What Do You Think? 

That was a week to remember, for sure. Again, we were all kids once. How much do you remember about your childhood? Answer these questions to find out! 

• Do you remember your first day of school (elementary, middle, or high)? 

• What did you want to be when you grew up? What was your dream profession? 

• What was the craziest, most insane thing that you did when you were a kid?