There’s nothing quite like a child’s imagination – with the ability to turn any mundane task into an adventure, it’s an important skill to uncover as they grow – so check out these suggestions – Gifts for Creative Kids.
There’s no easier way to develop and harness your child’s creativity than with an open-ended toy.
Think of a blank canvas that allows them to create their own masterpiece, rather than a colouring book that forces them to stay within the lines!
The great thing is that the benefits of child-led play have become more widely recognized in recent years, which means there are plenty of great toy-gifting options out there.
Here are our top picks for gift ideas to help the little ones in your life get creative.
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Art supplies
A generous collection of art supplies – rather than the generic “art kit in a box” – is a gift that will pack a punch for any budding Frida Kahlo or Picasso.
No matter the age of the child you are buying for, there are art supplies that will suit.
Choose from crayons and fat marker pens for preschoolers to more complex pastels, charcoals and modelling clays for high schoolers.
Consider buying a higher quality set of whichever medium they enjoy creating in, or something they’ve never tried before so they have something new to explore.
Alternatively, an older child with an artistic bent is sure to love a certificate for private or group lessons, or even the gift of an old film or digital camera.
And it can be challenging to find something for babies.
Sewing
If you’re looking for a gift for a tween or teen who’s creative, but not necessarily artsy, a kit or class that teaches them to sew is a great way to harness their interest.
Learning to make your own teddy bear by copying a pattern, cutting the fur, hand-stitching the pieces, stuffing and assembling, is a classic skill that few children get taught in the 21st Century.
This is also a great opportunity for a grandparent or older relative to spend quality time passing on their skills first-hand.
Other projects that are both fun and useful are learning to blanket-stitch and creating a throw for their bed, cross-stitching a wall hanging and even making basic clothing.
Imaginative role play
If you have a child who belongs on Broadway, then a gift to foster their love of acting and role play is the way to go.
Play silks or scarves are essential for every playroom and the perfect gift to encourage young thespians to use their imagination.
Rather than costumes that suggest set characters, silks can transform the wearer into a superhero, witch or beautiful butterfly with the help of a little imagination.
Whilst an adult might look at silks and simply see a square of fabric, creative children will be drawn to them and immediately incorporate them into their play.
As a truly open-ended toy, their use goes beyond role-playing; they can be used for anything from playing peek-a-boo to tucking a teddy into bed, or imagining the rolling waves of the sea or the forest floor with small-world play scenes.
Since they’re all about imagination, your child will never get bored of them.
Bonus: they fold up so small, which makes them perfect for travel.
Building toys
Lego (and Duplo)
There’s nothing like a large classic Lego kit to fire up a child’s inventiveness.
Unlike box sets with specific pieces where the aim is to build an explicit scene or object – akin to a puzzle – basic block sets unleash their creativity and let them build freely, limited only by their imagination.
A creative child will appreciate the opportunity to build without the constraints of instructions.
The classic sets offer better value for money, allowing you to buy an extensive collection and encourage even more elaborate builds.
For younger children, Duplo is a great way to foster young architects and engineers while teaching them colours and numeracy as an unintended benefit.
Parents will love that toddlers can be occupied independently for ages with a pile of Duplo, and toddlers will love proudly showing off their creations.
Magnetic tiles
Typically designed for children over the age of three (although they can be gifted to younger children if used with supervision), magnetic tiles have taken off in recent years, and with good reason – even adults will find the snap of the tiles satisfying.
While magnetic tiles are generally more limited in colour than Lego or Duplo, they allow a lot more flexibility in pattern making and involve a little more challenge – a magnetic tile tower will collapse more easily, which presents a fun opportunity to test the confines of gravity.
Magnetic tiles can be used to create both 2D and 3D designs, so there is a vast scope for creativity for children of all ages.
It’s easy to get stuck thinking of arts and crafts if you’re buying a gift for a creative child, but these ideas show there are a lot of different ways to foster their interests.
Open-ended toys have become a huge industry, making it easier for parents and loved ones to find the perfect gift no matter their particular interests.
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