94% Of Americans Say It Is Important For Their Children To Have Creative Experiences

CLEVELAND, Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A national poll conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Creativity for Kids®, a Faber-Castell® brand, revealed that 94% of Americans say it is important for their kids to have creative experiences and surprisingly, it made virtually no difference whether those polled had kids under 18 in their household or not (99% versus 92% respectively).

The data, collected in December, just prior to the 2014 holiday buying season revealed that men and women agree unanimously that creativity is important with some differences about why creativity is important. Millennials stood out in their assessment of the value of creativity and that data is addressed later in this story.
 

The survey reveals it's clear; the vast majority of Americans believe that creative experiences are important and in total they find it's important to 1) support a child's healthy development and 2) to develop a child's problem solving skills.

Two thousand and eight respondents were asked: What is the most important reason why you do/would want your child(ren) to have creative experiences? Even if you do not currently have any children, we are still interested in your opinion.

The total responses were as follows:

I think it's important for my child to have creative experiences                                                94%

Why?

                                To support my child's healthy development                                          28%
                                To develop my child's problem solving skills                                         16%
                                To make my child more successful in their life                                     15%
                                To provide balance in my child's life                                                     15%
                                To make my child happy                                                                         8%
                                To help my family do things together                                                      5%
                                To give my child a competitive advantage                                              3%
                                Some other reason                                                                                 4%

                It's not important for my child to have creative experiences                                      6%

95% of males think it's important for their children to have creative experiences for the following reasons:

• 26% - Support their child's healthy development
• 20% - To develop their child's problem solving skills
   

94% of females think it's important for their children to have creative experiences for the following reasons:

• 29% - Support their child's healthy development
• 19% - Provide balance in their child's life
   

Household Income levels made no difference in whether or not Americans think it's important for their child to have creative experiences, nor did the region of the country in which the respondents live. However, there were significant differences in household income when looking at reasons why they think creativity is important.
 

The survey demonstrates people of different household income levels mostly agree on reasons why creativity is important with most agreeing it could have a positive impact on their child's achievement and better prepare them for future employment. Those with a higher household income of $50,000 or more are more likely to say they think their child should have creative experiences to develop their problem solving skills compared to those with a household income of less than $50,000 (19% vs. 12%, respectively).

Millennials ages 18-34 said their number one reason was to support their child's healthy development (28%). "To make my child more successful," was their number two reason (21%) in contrast to other older generations, who maxed out between 10% and 16%—perhaps indicating that Millennials think creativity plays an important role in their child's future career more so than other generations. This viewpoint is often validated through direct focus group research conducted each year by Creativity for Kids.

"Our mission has always focused on providing children with quality experiences that will stimulate their natural creativity as well as providing opportunities for parents and children to spend time together creating," said Jamie Gallagher, CEO of Faber-Castell USA (who is also a featured speaker at the Creativity World Forum in March). "We recognize parents want experiences for their children that will help build lifelong skills. We know Creativity Counts – creativity develops children's problem solving and critical thinking skills. It is the catalyst for innovation, invention and the development of new ideas that influence the future." This is a recurring theme that the company has seen among Millennial parents since they began the Creativity Comeback in 2013 with the Creativity Can®.
 

There is a deep body of scientific evidence that demonstrates that creative experiences, in particular those that encourage free-thinking and working with materials with one's hands in an open-ended environment, lead to the kind of creative intellect that results in higher test scores, cognitive ability and even protracted attention spans for children with autism.
 

According to a major IBM survey of more than 1,500 Chief Executive Officers from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide, chief executives believe that -- more than rigor, management discipline, integrity or even vision -- successfully navigating an increasing complex world will require creativity. (Source: IBM 2010 Global CEO Study: Creativity Selected as Most Crucial Factor for Future Success).

That connection between creativity and solving the world's challenges is the primary subject of Walter Isaacson's Why innovation needs both art and science article on the World Economic Forum website: "The most creative innovations of the digital age came from those who were able to connect the arts and sciences. Like many aspects of the digital age, this idea that innovation resides where art and science connect is not new. Leonardo da Vinci was the exemplar, and his drawing of the Vitruvian Man became the symbol of the creativity that flourishes when humanities and science come together." (Source: WEF Website).

There is also a significant body of evidence that shows the power of parents and kids connecting through creativity, not just in the home, but in their communities as well.
 

"Studies show that parents that are active in the development of their children's creativity are also active in schools where art programs thrive," said Brad Snyder, Executive Director for the Dion Initiative at Arizona State University and a childhood development expert and author of 5 Simples Rules for Raising Kids. In addition, Snyder said products like Creativity Can are, "perfect for home schooling or after school hours when kids are most likely to have idle time otherwise filled up with tablets or digital media." He added that it's important [for us] to continue to have these discussions about the importance of creativity and to take action to support it both at home and in our communities.

As Creativity for Kids continues its push for a nationwide Creativity Comeback, the company distributed nearly 80,000 free Creativity Cans nationwide. In 2014 the company launched a group of themed cans to join The BIG Creativity Can® on store shelves.

The BIG Creativity Can® has been recognized with the following prestigious awards: Working Mother Best in Play 2014, The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval, Parents' Choice Gold award Winner, ToyPortfolio.com Platinum and SNAP Awards, Play Advances Language Award and a Noise on Toys Gold Award.

The Creativity Can family will be joined by the unveiling of 20 new products from Faber-Castell USA at the American International Toy Fair, which takes place February 14-17, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Faber-Castell USA/Creativity for Kids will exhibit in booth #479. This is the 37^th year that Creativity for Kids has participated in the event.

Creativity for Kids creates safe, innovative products that meet or exceed U.S. safety standards as determined by independent laboratory testing. For more information, visit www.creativityforkids.com.

Harris Poll Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Creativity for Kids from December 5 – 9, 2014 among 2,008 adults ages 18 and older (among which 918 are male, 1090 are female, and 494 are Millennials ages 18-34). For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Michelle Seeber at [email protected].
 

About the American International Toy Fair
Toy Fair is an annual trade show that is owned and operated by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and bringing toys and youth entertainment products to kids of all ages. For more information about the show, please visit www.ToyFairNY.com. To learn about the Toy Industry Association, visit www.ToyAssociation.org.

About Faber-Castell^®
Faber-Castell® USA is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and is part of the global network of Faber-Castell companies in countries such as Australia, Brazil and Malaysia. Faber-Castell was founded more than 250 years ago as a pencil manufacturer and today is known for its high-quality, professional art supplies and fine writing instruments and accessories. Faber-Castell is the leading provider of best quality creative experiences for a lifetime. Faber-Castell Children's brands include Creativity for Kids® (CreativityforKids.com) and Faber-Castell Premium Children's Art Products (GreatArtStartsHere.com). For more information about Faber-Castell USA, go to FaberCastell.com.

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SOURCE Faber-Castell USA

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