Kids Play: Igniting Children's Creativity (Paperback)

~ Michele Cassou (Author) "Discovering my creative passion in my early twenties was a turning point in my life..." (more)
Key Phrases: creative passion, painting studio, Point Zero, Kids Kids

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Teach children to use intuition and spontaneity to fuel their creativity and gain confidence in themselves. A must read for art teachers and parents.

In Kids Play, Michele Cassou brings her unique method of creative instruction to children and shows parents how they can inspire their children to discover the world of art. Too often a child's creativity is stunted because he or she feels the need to produce something specific that will meet with the expectations of teachers and parents. Cassou explains that it is the creative process that should be encouraged in children, and criticism, evaluation, or even praise of the end result can actually be damaging.

Kids Play uses examples from Cassou's own teaching experience to illustrate how helping children trust creative intuition instead of overloading them with technique will lead to self-expression and self-discovery. It will give them confidence not only in their art, but in themselves as well.

About the Author

Michele Cassou runs the Michele Cassou Painting Workshops in San Rafael, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (July 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585423289
• ISBN-13: 978-1585423286
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #526,811 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A must read for all parents and teachers!", August 9, 2005

By	Fegie Barkan - See all my reviews

As an art teacher and parent, I found this book to be an amazing breath of fresh air. Not only did I love reading "Kids Play" but it is also revolutionary in the area of kids creativity. I will highly recommend it to all the parents and teachers I know.

Creating safe environments for our children to fully express themselves is crucial and I see kids flowering when they feel that freedom from evaluation, no matter how well meaning. Specifically, thanks to "Kids Play", I was able to support one of my 7-year-old students who was standing in front of her white paper, brush in hand, looking so scared to begin her painting. Close to tears, she said, "I don't know what to paint." I answered lightly, "you don't have to know what you're going to paint before you start. You can just let your brush and the color take you
on a journey and see what happens!" I came back 10 minutes later to find her excitedly painting with great energy and joy!

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Book, March 19, 2009

By	Brian Kuhn "Wannabe teacher BK" (Sterling VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Some of the methods are a bit radical, I am hoping to be an aspiring kids teacher/entertainer myself. I want to unlock kids creativity and this book has some great ideas but may be a bit extreme with the methods. But no one said you need to use the book as your teaching bible for kids. Overall great lessons and teaching for the youngest kids you know and helping them achieve their creative point zeros.