After hearing the teacher say that her son could not keep up with school life, the mother spoke to him as they left the school gate. "Son, you have a special talent. How can you succeed if you are just like everyone else?"

This is the story of Pauline, the mother of Albert Einstein, who later won the Nobel Prize in Physics. If your child came home with a report card stating, "This child will never succeed in anything," how would you react? Most parents would likely be taken aback and scold their child, but Pauline's response was different. Instead of expressing disappointment, she calmly encouraged her child to develop his curiosity. Ultimately, thanks to the creative perspective of his mother, who viewed him as anything but a failure, Einstein produced groundbreaking results that changed the paradigm of physics with his theory of relativity.

Creativity is defined as "trying all thoughts and actions in new ways" (Good Tree Character School definition). Nurturing also requires a good character of creativity. Parents with creativity provide their children with the best stability to develop unique strengths and change the world. Creative parents are the ones who help their children grow into happy gifted individuals.

If you want to cultivate the character of creativity in your children, try implementing the following strategies:

Strategy 1: Enhance self-esteem with the character of joy.

Gifted individuals rich in creativity express their thoughts based on self-esteem. Joy is defined as "knowing how precious I am and enjoying it" (Good Tree Character School definition). Children with high self-esteem, rooted in the character of joy, happily share their thoughts, while those with low self-esteem fear judgment and hesitate to take on challenges. To develop your child's creativity, parents must first affirm, "No matter what you do, you are precious to us," thereby boosting their self-esteem.

Strategy 2: Actively support your child's willingness to try on their own.

Children who have never experienced success through their own choices can easily become powerless. When your child attempts something, even if it's a small task, through their own voluntary choice rather than parental pressure or direction, make sure to encourage them. As they accumulate experiences that show good choices lead to good outcomes, they will develop a problem-solving attitude rooted in creative thinking. It is essential to allow them to experience success by making their own choices in daily life, such as "What should I wear today?" or "What should I do after school?" American educator Leo Buscaglia said, "Creativity helps us find new paths or leads us to different things when life’s journey becomes difficult." In a culture where our daily lives are rapidly being replaced by advanced artificial intelligence, creativity becomes a valuable trait that helps us find ways to change the world.

Creativity means "coming up with exciting ideas and trying something new." It involves trying different ways with ideas.

Dr. Lee Young-sook  
Director of Good Tree Character School USA  
President of the Korean Character Association  
Former Graduate School Professor at Gunyang University  
Child Counseling Expert in the USA  
Columnist for the Korea JoongAng Daily, Naver, and Chosun Ilbo on Character Education  
Guest speaker for the Blue House, Korean Educational and Academic Information Service, Ministry of Education, and Education Offices

Broadcast appearances: EBS 60 Minutes Parents, SBS My Child Has Changed, MBC Kkurugi Meal Class, KBS My Friend is Seven, CBS Sebasi, and many others as an education expert

Publications: Author of numerous works including "12 Character Theories," "Character Communication Methods," "Character Discipline Methods," "Character Nurturing Methods," "Character Innovation," and "Character Play.