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Parenting

7 Simple Ways to Encourage Creative Play

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website. This post may also contain items gifted for consideration.

Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Kohl’s.  I was paid for this post and received the included Carter’s clothing as compensation.

Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy! Let’s talk creative play.  Between tablets  and tv, I often worry that Lydia (and kids in general) are losing their sense of imagination.  Not to sound like I’m talking about walking uphill to school both ways in the snow….but I feel like I’m constantly talking about playing outside for hours when I was a child.  I extended my own play, I played dress up, I explored, and I engaged in creative play.

Recently, I made it a goal in our family to spend a certain amount of time everyday playing without the use of technology.  I knew this would help Lydia (and myself), and would encourage us to engage in more creative play.
Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy!

Shop our outfits
Lydia: / dress (Carter’s via Kohl’s) / knee socks / shoes (similar) /
Mommy: / dress (similar) / boots (similar) / choker /
photos by Tiffany Ellis Photo

Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy! Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy! 7 Simple Ways to Encourage Creative Play:

  1. Encourage dramatic play, keep a variety of wardrobe changes and costumes at hand.  Allow your little one to self select pieces to wear and to create their own world surrounding their outfits.
  2. Open Ended Activities: Use blank paper versus a coloring page, keep bins of art supplies on hand.  A blank canvas allows for massive amounts of creativity!
  3. Focus on process, not results: Use positive reinforcement to encourage creativity and imagination instead of a perfect finished product.  Phrases like “I love seeing how you CREATE” or “It’s so fun to play dress up with you” or “I love hearing you make your own music” will encourage your child to create and explore.
  4. Be an observer, not a director: You do not need to orchestrate your child’s play choices.  Let them wear hats on their knees and skirts on their arms.  Set up an area with tools and toys….and let your child explore.
  5. Avoid toys that play FOR your child: I’m a firm believer in moderation.  We watch SOME tv, we use SOME electronics.  But I think it’s important to select SOME parts of the day without electronics or toys that play for your child.
  6. Play WITH your child: Sit on the floor and build block towers WITH your child.  Sit side by side and create your own art projects.  It’s important for your child to see YOU enjoying creative play.
  7. Expose your child to different forms of creativity: concerts, museums, group art classes, dance class……these are all amazing ways to encourage creativity and creative play.

Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy! These pictures are from one of our favorite trips to my husband’s alma mater, before taking Lydia to see kids’ concert.  From start to finish, we had a blast preparing for such a fun, creative activity.  My favorite part? We took a trip to Kohl’s (we were on vacation and didn’t have clothes prepared for the concert), and let Lydia pick out her own concert attire.  Was I the only one who didn’t realize that Carter’s clothing is also available at Kohl’s?  From cute dresses to great play clothes…..Carter’s makes clothes that are perfect for every type of play.  Lydia selected this adorable gingham dress, and she’s been begging to wear it everyday since (I can’t blame her….it’s SO cute!) And me? I selected a simple swing dress and boots that can be worn a million different ways.

Want to Shop for your own Kiddos?
Kohls Kids sale 3/17 – 4/2
$10 off a $40 purchase with promo code KIDSALE10

Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy! Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy! Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy!
Looking for ways to encourage creative play? These 7 simple tips will help your kiddo play and enjoy! What is your favorite type of creative play?

My blog may contain links to other websites. I am not responsible for the privacy policies of those other websites. When you click on a link, your information may be collected by those websites so I encourage you to read their privacy policies.

These affiliate links are not associated with Kohl’s.

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  1. Linda Manns Linneman says

    March 14, 2017 at 4:16 am

    These are such great suggestions. I have two young grandchildren and I am always looking for ways to do just this. Thank you for the great article

    Reply
  2. April Monty says

    March 15, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    Creative play stimulates the brain and encourages imagination .

    Reply
  3. Ebonn Twilley says

    June 30, 2017 at 7:46 am

    Were these pictures taken in Columbia, SC by chance? They look like they were taken at the Horseshoe. So pretty!

    Reply
    • carly says

      July 9, 2017 at 1:31 pm

      They totally were, my husband is from Columbia!

      Reply
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