Learn about the benefits of creative play in the early (and some simple and fun examples!)
Published: 24/04/2023
As Albert Einstein said: “Creativity is contagious, pass it on”. It’s in your nature to encourage your child to explore new things, tackle new challenges, and make mistakes in order to grow and develop.
Our blog will highlight the benefits of creative play in the early years and provide some simple and fun examples of children’s creative art ideas!
For many parents, the thought of opening the craft cupboard can be daunting and is often a last resort when it comes to entertaining children, particularly if you’re not the creative type. However, that half an hour of paints, glues and colouring pencils could spark a love for art and creativity in your child that can also support them in:
By nurturing a child’s creativity, and encouraging them to draw, paint, cut, stick, and create, you are fostering several important skills simultaneously.
And remember, the majority of the enjoyment children get will be because of the process of creating, rather than the end result. By prompting children to talk about the creation from their perspective, by asking questions such as ‘what do you like best’ or ‘tell me about your picture’, you’re positively reinforcing the idea that whatever they create is fantastic!
If you’re stuck for ideas on how to get crafty and creative, why not give some of the following activities a go? Have fun and watch their creativity flourish!
Finger Painting and Printing
What you’ll need: Paper (plain paper, old wrapping paper, or newspaper), washable paint, and objects for dipping into paint.
What you’ll do: Lay out the paper on a covered surface, and pop an apron on your little one (or some clothes you don’t mind getting messy). Squeeze some non-toxic paints onto a plate and allow them to dip their fingers and hands in, creating their very own masterpieces!
You could also try gathering building bricks. bubble wrap or any other interesting, shaped objects they can dip and print onto the paper. Anything will work if it can be washed or thrown away afterwards.
Leaf Imprinting
What you’ll need: Paper, leaves from the garden and crayons or pencils.
What you’ll do: Go for a walk in the garden or to the park and collect leaves of various shapes and sizes. Next, lay out some paper on a hard surface, lay out leaves underneath the paper, and get your child to rub the crayons lengthways, creating an imprint of the intricate leaf underneath. After they have finished with the leaf rubbings, they can draw over the top, incorporating the rubbings into their drawings.
Sock Puppets
What you’ll need: An old sock (any kind – odd, fluffy, sporty, just ensure it’s big enough to fit over your child’s hand), sticky eyes or buttons, ribbon and wool, and a glue stick.
What you’ll do: Pop the sock over your child’s hand, creating a mouth shape with their fingers. Mark on the sock where you’d like the eyes to sit, either stick pre-glued sticky eyes, or glue on buttons with a glue stick. Add extra features such as woollen hair, and a ribbon tongue to add some character to their new sock puppet friend!
Family Album
What you’ll need: Some printed photos of your family or images cut out from magazines, paper, pencils, and glue.
What you’ll do: Allow your child to stick the family photos or magazine cut-outs onto a piece of paper and encourage them to copy the images they can see using coloured pencils. Alternatively, you could get them to create additional characters and people to go alongside them. Talk to them about what’s happening in their picture and allow them to tell you the story.
And there we have it, some fun and simple activities which will help unleash your child’s creativity. For more fun ideas of things to do, check out our blog .
Let us know any other ways you encourage your child’s creativity through arts, crafts, or music on our social media.