How Creativity Fuels Young Children’s Cognitive Power
Hey there, wonderful parents! Today, our focus will be on a powerful early childhood topic: creativity and its role in our children’s cognitive development. We will outline what creativity means for young children, findings from recent research, and practical ways to spark creativity at home.
What Exactly Is “Creativity” in Young Children?
When someone says “creativity,” we often think of drawing, crafts, or making something “artistic.” However, for young children, creativity is so much broader. Examples of Creative Thinking in Young Children include:
- Imagine and explore:
A child uses a stick as a “magic wand” and explores the backyard searching for hidden treasure. - Generate new ideas:
While drawing, a child invents “rainbow clouds that rain sprinkles” and adds imaginative details. - Try things in different ways:
A child rebuilding a falling block tower experiments with different bases, angles, and surfaces until it stands. - Repurpose objects:
A cardboard tube becomes a telescope, then a megaphone, and later a tunnel for toy cars. - Combine ideas in unexpected ways:
A child creates an “animal bakery” by mixing playdough with toy animals to make animal cupcakes.
In early childhood research, this is linked to divergent thinking. This is the ability to come up with many possible ideas rather than searching for one “correct” one.⁴ Children show creativity when they turn a cardboard box into a race car, when they mix paints to see what happens, or when they invent dialogue for pretend characters.
Creativity also supports cognitive development because every imaginative act sets in motion reasoning, decision-making, planning, problem-solving, and symbolic thought, all essential building blocks for learning.
Recent Research Tells Us
Creativity is not just about having fun; it is a core ingredient in how young children think and learn.
1. Creativity and curiosity go hand-in-hand.
A 2024 study that examined the creativity–curiosity link in early childhood found that children encouraged to ask questions and explore freely develop stronger creative thinking. This increased creativity and imagination, but also increased attention, problem-solving, and other cognitive skills.¹
2. Creativity can be intentionally strengthened.
A 2025 review of interventions designed to boost creativity in children aged 0–6 found that activities promoting open-ended play, imaginative exploration, and flexible thinking had measurable effects on children’s creative performance.² These gains also supported reasoning and learning skills.
3. Early experiences shape brain pathways.
Another recent study highlighted that early nurturance and stimulation, such as playful experimentation and creative exploration, lay down neurological pathways that support long-term learning, behaviour, and achievement.³
Taken together, these findings tell us something powerful: when we nurture creativity, we are strengthening a young child’s thinking brain.
Two Scenarios
The Castle Builder
In the first scenario, four-year-old Amara starts stacking blocks into a small tower. Then she spots an empty cardboard box and asks for help cutting a flap. “This is the drawbridge! And it's a castle now!” she announces. She adds a pillow as a trench and invites you to try crossing.
What’s happening?
Amara is using creative thinking (imagining new purposes for objects), symbolic thought (the box becomes a castle), planning (adding a drawbridge), and reasoning. All these combine to strengthen cognitive pathways.
The Speedy Artist
The second scenario introduces a two-year-old Jamal who is finger-painting. Instead of trying to make a picture of something recognisable, he sweeps his hands across the paper in messy lines. “This is me when I run fast!” he tells you. You ask, “Why these lines?” Jamal says, “Wind behind me!” He adds blue streaks to show more wind.
What’s happening?
Jamal is practicing expressive language, symbolic thinking, cause-and-effect reasoning (“wind behind me”), sensory exploration, and creative representation. These are the same skills that support reading, science thinking, and problem-solving later on.
Simple Guidelines for Fostering Creativity at Home
Here are some meaningful ways to support creativity in the early years, without needing special materials or a big budget.
1. Offer Open-Ended Materials
Provide items that don’t have a single “right” use, such as cardboard boxes, blocks, recycled containers, paper towel cylinders, craft scraps, popsicle sticks, play-dough, and fabric pieces. Open-ended materials invite experimentation, creative problem-solving, and flexible thinking.
2. Ask Open-Ended Questions
Instead of “What is that?” try:
- “Tell me about what’s happening here.”
- “What might happen if you turn it this way?”
- “How could we make it taller/smoother/stronger?”
These kinds of questions encourage deeper thinking and support the link between creativity and curiosity identified in research.¹
3. Protect Time for Free Play
Children need unstructured time where they’re in charge of their play. Research consistently shows that such early experiences directly support cognitive growth.³ Free play strengthens imagination, planning, experimentation, and persistence.
4. Focus on the Process, Not the Product
Praise efforts and ideas instead of appearance:
- “I love how you tried different colours!”
- “You found a new way to connect those pieces!”
Children become more creative when they feel free to explore without pressure.
5. Encourage Role-Play and Storytelling
Pretend play (“Let’s be astronauts!”) helps children practice symbolic thinking, perspective-taking, memory, sequencing, and emotional expression in fun-filled ways.
6. Allow Room for Mess and Mistakes
Creativity requires trial and error. If a tower falls or a plan doesn’t work, respond with curiosity:
- “Hmm, what could we try differently?”
This builds persistence and cognitive flexibility.
7. Model Curiosity Yourself
When children see you exploring ideas, they learn to do the same.
Try saying:
- “What if this lid became a drum?”
- “I wonder what would happen if we mixed these colours?”
Your interest signals to your child that creativity is valued.
In Conclusion
Creativity in the early years is not just about making cute crafts, in fact it is the engine that drives problem-solving, imagination, flexible thinking, and deep learning. Every time you encourage your child to explore an idea, test a theory, or invent something new, you strengthen their cognitive growth and confidence.
So the next time your child turns a spoon into a magic wand or paints swirling lines to show the “wind behind me,” celebrate it. You’re witnessing creativity in action, and supporting the development of a powerful thinking mind.
Footnotes
1. Bonawitz, E., et al. (2024). Exploring the creativity–curiosity link in early childhood. Journal of Early Childhood Education.
2. Xie, Q., Li, F., & Zhang, L. (2025). Enhancing children’s creativity in early childhood: A systematic review of interventions for children birth to six years. Early Childhood Education Journal.
3. Rahman, S., & Nyanzi, W. (2025). Early Nurturance and Stimulation: Effects on child cognitive and creative development. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 11(2), 1–12.
Runco, M. A., & Acar, S. (2012). Divergent thinking as an indicator of creative potential. Creativity Research Journal, 24(1), 66–75