Research shows that children are naturally creative from a young age—and scientists agree that children who maintain that creativity often become better problem-solvers and innovators. Creative children also tend to be less anxious and more resilient, with a greater ability to express their feelings.

“The more a child believes in their powers of creativity, the more they believe that whatever happens to them, they can overcome it because they can figure out a way to survive,” says Angus Fletcher, professor of story science at Ohio State University’s Project Narrative.

But the creativity that young children naturally exhibit doesn’t necessarily last.

A well-known study involving 1,600 four- and five-year-olds found that 98% of the children scored in the “creative genius” range on a NASA creativity test. Five years later, 30% of those children maintained that level, and five years after that, only 12% reached creative-genius levels.

One reason may be neurological. Researchers at the University of California found that by age three, a child’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s. As children grow older, however, some neural connections are strengthened while others are pruned. This process gradually transforms the brain from being highly flexible and sensitive to becoming more efficient and controlled.

Another major factor is the way children learn in structured school environments.

“Standardised testing, for example, encourages kids to think that there are right answers and wrong ones,” Fletcher says. “That way of thinking negatively impacts creativity, because creativity depends on the brain thinking that there are multiple possible

answers.”

Supporting Your Creative Child

Fortunately, the creative qualities that many young children display don’t have to disappear as they grow older.

Researchers at UC Berkeley have theorised that a playful, protected environment can encourage more flexible, exploratory and childlike learning—even in adulthood.

“Creativity is a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time,” Fletcher says.

It can sometimes be difficult to know where to start, so don’t be afraid to use the things your child already loves to inspire joyful, imaginative play.

You could look through their favourite books together and imagine yourselves inside the worlds of their favourite characters. Or you might nurture their creativity with a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine. Each issue is packed with puzzles, games and activities, while its stories about the natural world can help spark curiosity and imagination.

Here are four creative skills that almost all children naturally exhibit—and ways to help them continue exercising those creative muscles throughout their lives.

Creative Skill #1: Playing—All the Time

From stacking blocks and kneading clay to climbing trees, creative children can become completely absorbed in imaginative play for hours, whether they are playing with friends or by themselves.

“Creativity is something innate in humans, and it’s fostered naturally through play,” says Nancy Carlsson-Paige, author of Taking Back Childhood: A Proven Roadmap for Raising Confident, Creative, Compassionate Kids.

Play is often simply about having fun, but it can also help children process upset feelings, conflict or difficult experiences.

“It’s giving them an opportunity to re-enact things they’ve experienced that they still need to work through,” she says.

How to Encourage More Creative Play

Unlike board games or organised sports, which typically have rules and specific goals, free play is unstructured and doesn’t need to have a particular purpose.

Carlsson-Paige encourages parents to allow children to play independently, even when their play may appear unproductive. If they invite you to join them, let the child take the lead.

She also recommends creating a dedicated play area, even if it is simply a small corner of a room. Fill it with open-ended materials such as hats, scarves and costume jewellery from a thrift store; recycled materials such as cardboard boxes and old newspapers; building materials; art supplies; or wooden blocks.

“Any of these open-ended materials will allow for children to make up their own stories and decide from their own creative impulse and needs,” Carlsson-Paige says.

Creative Skill #2: Imagining All the Possibilities

Children are uninhibited and often have a natural talent for dreaming up stories in the world of make-believe. They may excitedly tell tales about powerful wizards, talking animals or dancing bears.

That imagination can serve them well later in life. After all, who could have imagined 30 years ago that a tiny device would allow us to make phone calls, send messages, stream television shows and take photographs?

How to Inspire Imagination in Creative Kids

Teach children to consider different scenarios—even the far-fetched ones.

“Rather than being fact givers and repeating information, parents should provide children with the skills to be problem-solvers and risk takers,” says Rebecca Isbell, author of Nurturing Creativity: An Essential Mindset for Young Children’s Learning.

Start by asking open-ended questions.

For example:

“What if rain came from the ground to the clouds instead of falling from the clouds to the ground? How would the world be different?”

Your child might have to imagine alternatives to umbrellas or think of new ways to collect rainwater.

When you’re running errands, you could ask:

“If you could invent a brand-new food, what would it be? What would it taste like?”

These questions can also be a fun way to break up the boredom during a long car journey.

For a hands-on activity, challenge your child to create a birthday present for a family member using only things they can find in the garden. Or ask them to design a completely new outfit using materials they can find in the kitchen.

The goal isn’t to find the “right” answer—it’s to encourage children to imagine what is possible.

Creative Skill #3: Seeing Things Differently

Ask a child how many different ways they could use a cup, and their answers might surprise you.

A cup could become a hat, hammer, scoop, shovel or drum.

“One of the key components of creativity is looking at things from a new perspective and connecting disparate things that might not otherwise connect to come up with a unique or original idea or invention,” says Catherine Thimmesh, author of Girls Solve Everything.

How to Encourage Children to Develop New Perspectives

Challenge your child to look at familiar situations from a different angle.

For example, if your child normally walks from the living room to the kitchen, ask them to come up with a completely different route.

Add a playful challenge:

“Can you get to the kitchen without your feet touching the ground?”

“Have them think and problem-solve,” Thimmesh says.

Maybe they’ll ask a sibling to roll them into the kitchen, or perhaps they’ll arrange pillows on the floor as stepping stones.

You can also use imaginative play to help children see situations from another person’s perspective.

If your child enjoys pretending to be a superhero, ask them to imagine themselves as the superhero’s nemesis. How might that character think differently? What would motivate them? How would they try to defeat the hero?

These activities help children practise looking beyond their own perspective and considering alternative ways of thinking.

Creative Skill #4: Super-Strong Curiosity

“Young children have not been inhibited by the world yet,” Isbell says. “They’re very curious about everything, and they want to know how things work and fit together.”

The challenge comes when social expectations and fear of failure begin to discourage that curiosity.

How to Inspire Curiosity in Creative Kids

Show genuine interest in your child’s ideas and explorations.

“It can help build their creative confidence as they learn that their thinking is valued and encouraged,” Isbell says.

Encourage your child to channel their inner explorer, particularly when they are outdoors.

For example, if your child becomes fascinated by a stone on the ground at the zoo instead of the elephants, let them investigate what caught their attention. Ask questions about it and encourage them to share what they notice.

Sometimes, the seemingly small things that capture a child’s attention can lead to the biggest questions.

Another way parents can support curiosity is by modelling how to deal with mistakes.

Making mistakes is a natural part of the creative process, but fear of failure can prevent children from experimenting, asking questions and trying new ideas.

One simple activity is to ask your child to “teach” you a game or explain a project they are working on. Then deliberately make a mistake and patiently allow your child to help you figure it out.

Two things happen.

First, the child becomes the expert and feels empowered. Second, they learn that even adults—who may appear to know everything—can make mistakes, ask questions and keep trying.

You can also try the improvisational comedy technique known as “Yes, and…”. The idea is to accept what someone has said (“yes”) and then build on it (“and”).

Fletcher says this approach encourages children to expand their ideas or find a hidden opportunity in what might initially seem like a failure.

By avoiding judgement and giving children space to explore their ideas, parents can help build confidence and encourage them to remain curious.

Keep Their Creative Spark Alive

Children don’t need expensive toys, complicated activities or constant entertainment to develop creativity.

What they need is the freedom to play, imagine, experiment, ask questions and make mistakes.

By giving children opportunities to explore their own ideas—and by resisting the urge to provide every answer—we can help them preserve one of their most valuable natural abilities: the capacity to imagine that there might always be another possibility.