Nurturing creativity through play

Inspire your child’s creativity with playful, everyday activities that are easy to adopt into your daily life.

Creativity in young children is about far more than painting, drawing or crafting. It’s a vibrant, exploratory process that involves imagination, problem-solving and playing – often all wrapped into the same activity. For parents, this doesn’t have to be a daunting or time-intensive task. In fact, some of the best ways to nurture your little one’s inherent creativity are simple, everyday activities that children enjoy.

What are the benefits?

Creativity is a powerful tool for learning and self-expression. Through innovative play, kids develop key skills – they learn to think critically, build their emotional resilience and navigate challenges with a flexible, positive approach. Imaginative activities also support their cognitive and emotional development by allowing children to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Seven simple steps

Let’s take a deeper look at the things you can do to bring out your child’s individuality.

Encourage questions

Children are naturally curious and their questions open the door to creative thinking. When your little one asks, “Why is the sky blue?” or “How does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?,” take the time to explore these questions together. You don’t need all the answers – just fostering their natural curiosity helps them learn to think innovatively.

Open-ended play

Rather than toys with specific instructions, consider offering your little one items that spark their imagination. Blocks, scarves, cardboard boxes and play dough all allow for endless possibilities, letting children transform these objects into castles, cars or magical lands. This kind of open-ended play encourages kids to create their own stories and develop unique solutions to imaginary problems.

Get crafty

Crafting doesn’t require fancy supplies. Everyday items such as egg cartons, paper towel rolls or cereal boxes, can be transformed into something magical. Help your child to see the potential in everyday objects by suggesting cool ways to use them. You could try creating a robot out of boxes or an animal mask from paper plates. This type of recycling also teaches little one’s resourcefulness.

Imagination games

Role play is a fantastic way for children to experiment with storytelling. Whether they’re playing house, pretending to be a shopkeeper or dressing up as their favourite superhero, role play allows kids to explore different roles, build empathy and exercise their imaginations. You can join in, too – play the customer to their shopkeeper or the patient to their doctor – whatever works!

Simple art

Art doesn’t have to be complicated or involve a lot of prep. All that’s really needed is a small art station with crayons, markers, paper and stickers, where your child can create freely whenever they feel inspired. Experimenting with different materials like watercolours, clay or even chalk outside offers new ways to express themselves and try new techniques.

Nature walks

This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but going for a walk in a local park or the countryside is a brilliant opportunity for some creative exploration together. Encourage your child to collect interesting leaves, rocks or flowers and bring them home for further examination. They can use these items to create natural art or simply look at them up close, sparking ideas about shape, colour and patterns in nature.

Gardening together

Gardening, even on a small scale, encourages children’s creativity and responsibility. When you have time, allow your little one to choose a few plants, help dig, water and watch them grow. Observing nature’s cycles like this can encourage kids’ curiosity and sense of wonder about the world around them.

What to watch out for

Here are a handful of things that can interfere with your child’s ability to let their ideas flow, so it’s good to be aware of the following:

Structure versus freedom

It’s helpful to have a loose structure for activities but equally important to leave space for children to lead. Too much structure can limit their imaginative play, so try to follow their cues. Give them the freedom to turn a drawing session into a storytelling time, or let a craft project evolve into a new game.

Over-scheduling

Kids need downtime to let their minds wander, just like all of us! Aim to avoid scheduling every minute of their day, as unstructured time is when children can really tap into their own unique ideas.

Screen time

While technology can offer innovative opportunities, too much screen time is known to limit hands-on exploration. Instead of passive watching, encourage some active participation, like creating music or art on a digital device.

Let it be

If your child’s drawing of a cat looks more like a colourful scribble, resist the urge to correct or ‘improve’ it. The joy and value lie in the process, not the end result, so just celebrate their efforts and listen to their ideas – this lets kids know that their thoughts are valid.

How to help

What are some simple strategies you can put into action to encourage your child, especially if they find creative practices daunting?

The power of words

It’s relatively easy to offer simple affirmations that build kids’ confidence in this arena, and this can have a huge impact. Try using phrases like:

• “Wow, I love how you thought of that!”
• “You have such a unique way of doing things”
• “What a great idea! How did you come up with it?”

These phrases help children feel that their creativity is valuable, boosting their confidence to keep going.

Collaboration

Creative activities aren’t just for kids playing alone. It can really suit some personalities when siblings or friends collaborate on building the fort, creating a play, or painting a mural. Working together like this is a great way to learn communication skills and teaches children the value of teamwork. Plus, sharing fun experiences helps siblings feel more connected to each other and can create lovely memories together.

Suit your child

Each child has a unique personality, so it’s best to adapt any activities to suit their current interests. If your child loves building, provide them with materials to build structures or design their own toys. If they enjoy music, experiment with creating simple instruments or recording fun sounds around the house. Tailoring activities to what excites your child is a surefire way to keep their engagement and enthusiasm high!

Everyday moments

Remember that this doesn’t always need to be a dedicated activity. Everyday life presents endless opportunities for imaginative play – try inviting your little one to help you create a new recipe, or perhaps make up songs during bath time or when tidying up. By seeing everyday tasks as opportunities for fun, children learn to approach the world with more curiosity and imagination.

Above all, nurturing creativity means giving kids a safe space to explore their ideas without fear of judgement. Adopting a playful, creative approach to life as a family will help little ones to embrace the unknown, stay curious and enjoy learning by playing, as well as build a foundation of attitudes that will serve them well into the future. Creativity is, after all, not just a skill to be developed, but a way of seeing and engaging with the world.

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