Five Ways to Encourage Creative Play In Your Child
Why Is Creativity Important?
Creative play supports cognitive development, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking skills.
Creativity involves cognitive processes that transform one’s understanding of, or relationship to, the world.
The Conversation
Children explore their roles in the world and their impact on the world around them through creative play. It’s important for children to process and understand their world as well as express their emotions through creativity for emotional well-being.
Follow these easy tips to support your child’s development through creative play and building the skill of creativity!
Set Up The Environment
The environment is key in encouraging creative play. It is important to create a “no” free zone that children know they can engage in without criticism or many limits.
If it’s not possible to always have this space set up, you can get a large baby gate to section off an area that you can add toys or art supplies the child can engage with freely. Providing a playroom, if possible, is a great option as well.
Simple Toys and Supplies
Research actually found children engaged more and formed more cognitive connections when using simple, wooden toys rather than electronic “learning” toys.
Keep simple toys that can be used for multiple purposes and imaginative play available at all times.
Schedule Free Time (or Don’t Schedule)
Always make sure there is time in the schedule for your child to engage in play without direction or a goal.
Give Children Space
Simple, give children space to play on their own without direction. However, ignoring children or forcing them to have alone time will only create children to be more “needy.”
A child’s emotional and attachment needs must be met before they are interested in solo and imaginative play.
Role Model
Show your child how to use their imagination! Read some fantasy books together or grab a stick and pretend it’s a wand.
Teach your children it’s ok and even encouraged to engage in creative play and use things in creative ways.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use the more you have.”
– Maya Angelou
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Thank you for sharing so many good tips and reminders! I need to be better about making my children’s playroom a no free zone. I’m usually pretty good, but struggle some days! I also agree with the toys that can be multipurpose and spark creativity! A must. My daughter is all about imaginative play right now and it’s pretty magical.
These are awesome tips to cultivate a child’s creativity! There’s a lot of learning through play.
Thank you so much for all of these awesome ideas. I totally agree that when you give your child some space and model well it is amazing what they can come up with!
I love this! I am not creative at all, so I would love to help raise more creative children. I have tried to keep toys simple and to a minimum, but over time they seem to accumulate!
I agree with giving child space to be creative and not worrying about making a mess or breaking anything. My sons are more creative when they are outside.
Great tips! Our society has shifted so much towards devices and as a minimal screen family I am thankful our child uses his imagination. This will help with additional ideas – thank you!
These are great ideas! I think I got my kids covered. I am super creative and I believe it is because my mom was really lax with us and let us pretty much do whatever we wanted as kids! I know its not the best way to parent, but with all that freedom I have become a creative adult. I paint, sew, draw, make websites, do graphic design, photography, you name it! I am trying to find balance with my children though. Kids need boundaries and structre a long with freedom.
Great article! Love this topic of creativity.
Love this. Especially no when my little ones are home more. I am working to find a balance between independent play, together play, and side by side play that works for all of us.