young girl hands with a pencil colouring in sheets from a christmas colouring book

We all love to be creative. Whether it’s drawing, writing or whipping something exciting up in the kitchen, we all find ways to put our own stamp on things. And children especially love to use their imaginations.

Being creative means having fun with ideas, freedom of expression and having the opportunity to make things unique.

And all these things are not only great for your child’s wellbeing but also for their development – both intellectually and emotionally. As well as coming up with weird and wonderful ideas, they get to interact with you and tell you what they’re thinking. They’re working things out, gaining confidence and sharing ideas, all within a safe environment.

And there are very few limits to being creative, demonstrated here by 10-year-old Harriet:

To help your child find ways of being creative as well as use their imagination, here are just some of the activities that they might like to get involved with.

Drawing

Having a well-stocked stationery supply is always a must-have when you have kids. Not only is colouring a reliable go-to activity for rainy days, but drawing can help engage your child’s ability to plan, multi-task and concentrate. They can explore ideas, play with different art materials and develop their own artistic style. And as they get older, they’ll be used to developing their own ideas, which can be useful for other activities such as homework and problem solving.

And you can help to encourage your child to draw as well as have some quiet time by setting up a drawing station for them. All you need is a wooden drawing board, some paper and their favourite art materials, and they’re all set for letting their imaginations run wild.

young girl behind a yellow pen pot with bright crayons in

Music

Whether your child is learning an instrument or simply loves to sing along to their favourite tune, music is a great resource for helping your child to develop their sense of creativity. Not only will playing an instrument help them develop their coordination, but playing allows for self-expression, can aid memory retention and is fun to do too.

Younger children can get involved too with instruments such as small keyboards, glockenspiels and tambourines.

Dressing up

Dressing up is something most of us do as children. Whether it’s wearing your mum’s heels or turning yourself into a princess-ballerina for the day, dressing up opens up a world of possibilities for kids. It’s another great way of allowing them to express themselves as well as explore who they are and who they might want to become.

two yooung boys in fancy dress outfits of superhoeroes

Cooking and baking

Although filling the kitchen with cakes, cookies and sweets might not be what you want to do on a daily basis, there are still lots of ways your child can be creative in the kitchen. From decorating their own pizzas, making healthy tortilla wraps or even designing their own fruit bowl, there are lots of ways they can get involved with making their own dinners. Children love to be in control whenever they can, so doing this is also great for their happiness levels as well as their development.

Reading

Reading might not seem like a creative activity, but when we read words, our brains actually form a picture of what we’re reading so we can connect everything together so that it makes sense. That’s why so many people say when they see a film that’s an adaptation of a book, “That’s not how I imagined it”. Everyone’s way of thinking is different. Reading is a fantastic form of creative play and can help to inspire children as well as develop their imaginations.

Gardening

Children never seem to run out of energy so making sure you spend time outside is great for helping them burn some of it off! And if you’re looking for activities to do in the garden, children love to get involved. Not just because they can get their hands and knees muddy, but also because it’s a chance to be creative as well as learn about the great outdoors. Give them a little patch of the flower bed that’s just for them, and help them weed it, plant seeds and water it. They can choose what flowers they plant and where they plant them. They can also come back and see how the flowers have grown. They’ll enjoy spending time with you as well as the responsibility. And if you don’t have a garden, you can give them a little plant pot to nurture instead.

And for more creative ideas and inspiration, visit our Facebook and Instagram page @HartleysDirect.