That’s why creativity is more important for children than you think

What is creativity — and what is it not?

Many parents think of creativity as drawing, painting, and cutting and pasting. That is creative — but it is only a small part of the picture. Research from NCBI defines creativity as the ability to generate ideas that are both original and useful in a given context. This means creativity arises in play, in conflicts that need to be resolved, in cooking, in storytelling, and in role-playing.

It is also important to distinguish between creative production (the result) and the creative process (the thinking). For children, the process is what matters. A child who spends 20 minutes figuring out how to build a tower that doesn’t fall is deeply creative — even if the tower eventually falls anyway.

What creativity does for children's brains

Neuroscience is clear: creative activity is not just fun, it is high-level cognitive training. When a child engages in creative work, large parts of the brain are activated simultaneously — the areas that handle planning, emotional regulation, motor skills, and language processing all work together.

WHO’s guidelines for child development emphasize the importance of free play and creative activity as a foundation for healthy cognitive and motor development. Studies show that children who regularly engage in creative activities have better problem-solving skills, higher empathy, and greater resilience to adversity.

Creativity also strengthens language. When children talk about their drawing, explain their construction, or ask for materials, they use rich and nuanced language. This is one reason why creative activities are recommended as language stimulation for young children.

Free versus structured creativity: what works best?

There is an important difference between giving a child a blank sheet of paper and letting them do whatever they want, and giving them a template to fill in. Research from Stanford's Graduate School of Education shows that children given open creative tasks (“make something with these materials”) develop more original thinking than children who follow step-by-step instructions.

That doesn’t mean structured activities are bad. They can help children get started, learn new techniques, and build confidence. But balance is important: too many guided creative tasks can actually hinder the spontaneous, original thinking we want to encourage.

A good rule of thumb: let the child control at least half of the creative time. Feel free to introduce a technique or material, but let the child decide what to use it for.

Creative materials by age

What screen time does to creative exploration

Research from the National Institute of Health (NIH) shows a correlation between high passive screen time and lower creativity scores in children. The mechanism is likely that passive screen time eliminates the "bored" time — the time without stimulation — which is crucial for creative thinking. The brain needs periods of low external stimulation to activate the so-called "default mode network," which is closely linked to creativity and daydreaming.

It is not necessarily the screen itself that is the problem, but the amount and type. A child playing a creative game, drawing digitally, or learning to program uses the screen creatively. A child who passively consumes videos for hours does not give their creative brain the space it needs.

Practical solution: Set a limit on passive screen time and ensure there are periods during the day without planned activities. Boredom is the fertilizer for creativity.

Cooking as a creative activity

Think about what happens when a child helps make dinner: they see, smell, and taste along the way. They experiment — what happens if you add more lemon? They plan the sequence and solve problems when things go wrong. They make something the family eats and comments on. No drawing or painting provides the same complete feedback loop.

With an age-appropriate children's kitchen set, even 3-year-olds can participate meaningfully in cooking. From stirring dough and washing vegetables to cutting soft foods and plating meals — every step is creative learning. See more on our inspiration blog for concrete recipes and ideas for what children can make themselves in the kitchen at different ages.

Research supports this: children who regularly cook with adults show higher creativity scores, better fine motor skills, and greater willingness to try new foods.

The parents' role: when to help and when to step back?

It is tempting to help when the child is stuck with their drawing or construction. But stepping in too quickly deprives the child of the valuable experience of solving the problem themselves. Research on so-called "scaffolding" shows that the best support is to ask open-ended questions: "What do you think will happen if you try that?" rather than "Try doing it like this."

Praise is another important factor. Studies by Carol Dweck at Stanford show that children praised for effort ("I can see you worked hard on that") do better on creative tasks than children praised for talent ("You are so creative"). Effort praise promotes a growth mindset — the belief that abilities can develop through work.

Specifically: Avoid taking over. Sit beside, be curious, ask questions. Accept a result that looks different from what you imagined. The child’s creativity is not a mistake to be corrected.