by A/Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino
Head, Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, Adelaide University

This year, the December/January school holidays felt endless. While we spent plenty of time out and about, as we approached what I could only assume was day 5,000 of the break, I was desperate to find ways to encourage my kids to play creatively at home. In today’s world of readily available screens, however, this sometimes feels like an uphill battle and one inevitably accompanied by a chorus of “I’m bored!” How can we overcome this and encourage creative play in our kids… and why is it so important that we do so?

Kids are naturally creative, driven by innate curiosity and desire to explore the world around them and understand how things work. This peaks in early childhood, with young children unafraid to engage in imaginative play or confront new challenges, without fear of how others perceive them. As children move into middle childhood, however, scores on measures of creativity tend to decline, commonly called the “fourth grade slump.”

In line with this, a seminal study by George Land and colleagues assessed creativity in 1,600 3- to 5-year-old children using a test developed for NASA to select innovative scientists/engineers. Incredibly, 98% of children in this age range scored at the “Genius” level for creativity. When these same children were followed over time, however, this percentage decreased to 30% at age 10 and to just 12% at age 15. Subsequent research across multiple cultures has largely supported these findings.

These creative declines are likely due to a combination of both internal and external factors. Middle childhood and beyond represents a period of rapid maturation and refinement of the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex. This results in increased cognitive control and functional specialisation, as well as altered brain connectivity, leading to more efficient, logical and goal-oriented, but less flexible and creative, thinking.

External factors, such as increased peer pressure and structured school environments, also play a role. These can lead children to perceive that there is a single correct answer to a given problem, rather than multiple potential solutions to explore. Further, children may want to conform with peers or classroom rules, leading to less divergent thinking.

Nevertheless, such declines are not inevitable and can differ widely between individual children. In fact, a 2019 study by the Stanford School of Medicine reported that while some children’s creative ability declines during middle childhood, others demonstrate increases over time.

This is significant, as creativity during childhood has been linked to a variety of beneficial outcomes. For example, University of South Australia researchers have shown that students who exhibit higher levels of creativity perform better on the NAPLAN, with creativity a stronger predictor of outcome than either GPA or personality traits. Similarly, childhood creativity predicts both level of educational attainment and employment success later in life.

Creativity is also linked to multiple mental health benefits, including reduced stress and anxiety, greater self-awareness and confidence, higher levels of emotional intelligence/regulation and enhanced resilience. It can also improve cognitive flexibility, problem-solving and social connectedness.

Given its benefits, how can we encourage creativity in our kids, and hopefully avoid the “fourth grade slump?” A meta-analysis of 30 different studies suggests that parents play a critical role, with a positive relationship between parental involvement and student creativity.

Some things you can try at home to foster creativity include:

1. Offer open-ended, unstructured toys and materials
Since these don’t have a specific “right” way of playing with them, they encourage kids to use their imagination. This may include dress up items, arts and crafts/construction materials, bins of building blocks/loose parts or random household items.

2. Embrace messiness and experimentation
Encourage children to think of different ways to engage with materials or try something new. Question them about what they are doing and bring materials into different environments to see how this changes engagement; even if this means getting messy along the way.

3. Be interested and engaged
Actively become part of the play, while letting your child lead. Don’t be afraid to get silly! Support development of independent thinking and problem-solving skills by introducing new challenges or posing open-ended questions without clear solutions. Keep the focus on the process, rather than specific outcomes.

4. Create a safe space for making mistakes
Part of the creative process is that things don’t always go as intended. Foster a supportive environment when things go wrong, and model how you deal with your own mistakes. Encourage resilience and perseverance when unexpected challenges arise.

5. Think outside the box
Challenge your child’s perspectives and support them to think about problems from several different angles. Emphasise that problems can have more than one solution and help them brainstorm different approaches (online mind mapping tools are a fun way to brainstorm and visualise ideas). Reward creative thinking and taking on new challenges to build confidence.

In a world that increasingly values right answers, nurturing creativity at home helps children learn that thinking differently is not just allowed; it’s powerful.

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