6 Creative Activities To Steal From Kids

Creativity isn’t magical, it’s not an elusive or mythical thing. Creativity is an ability we were all given at birth that gets knocked out of us as we get older. We’re told our ideas are crazy and unrealistic and over time we start to become less creative. So, how can we get creativity back in our lives? Well, we’re gonna steal it from kids!

Remember when you were a kid? Back when you weren’t in a rush all the time and when you didn’t care what anyone (except your mom) thought of the stuff you made? We have a lot to learn from those kids we once used to be. Let’s dive into the 6 activities we’re gonna steal from our youth.

1 - Reading

Not all kids love reading, but kids books are some of the best sources of inspiration out there with fun rhyming stories and really beautiful illustrations. Go to the book store this week (Try not going on Amazon! It’s more fun when you get the smell of a real bookstore.) and search for the perfect book to take home even if you don’t have kids. Sit down in a quiet place in your house and just read it… with a juice box. Jk

As a father who reads kids books nightly, here are some recommendations:

• Chin Up Chinchilla
• Tomorrow I’ll be brave
• Llama Llama Red Pajama
• Jurassic Park
• Cat in The Hat

2 - Play

The best part of being a kid is you get to play all the time. Sometimes it’s making a fort with your couch cushions while you battle an imaginary dragon and sometimes it’s picking up the Playstation controller and playing games through dinner. Sometimes play is taking things apart to find out how it works. Sometimes it’s creating a new game out of rubber bands and mini-oranges… Yeah, kids do that. They say kids should play for 60min everyday, what if that rule was applied for adults too? Oh, and if you’re looking for a fun creative game to pla, check out this card game I made ;).

3 - Run

Next is to spend time pondering, but not by just walking — by running! Kids run around all day long everywhere they go. Ever see a kid WALK down a long hallway? No? Well, that’s because it’s never happened before. Get your heart rate up and once you get past the part where you can’t breathe, you’ll make some room in your brain for some much appreciated thinking and problem solving space.

4 - Explore

When we’re kids, exploring is easy because we haven’t been to that many places. Something special happens when you go to a new place though, your brain goes into a state of increased awareness, you start to notice new things around you (our body’s way of looking for things that can kill us). Going to new places and taking the time to notice details of life is one of the most creative things you can do. You don’t have to jump on a plane to do this though. You can simply try going to a different coffee shop or a different part of your office to work for the day and you’ll notice the difference.

5 - Rearrange

Maybe this one is just me, but when I was a kid, I would constantly rearrange my room. I loved when it looked new. I loved trying to find the perfect layout to fit my drawing desk, my bed, my TV and my 1,000 hot wheels. Much like #4, when we change things, our brain notices and begins to take in more information at a faster rate. This one could also mean changing the route you take to work or flipping your desk to another wall.

6 - Stop giving a crap about what anyone thinks and just make stuff

The last creative activity you should steal from kids is to stop caring about what everyone thinks of you and what you do with your time. Creativity takes courage, curiosity and bravery. So, hop off social media, put down your phone and steal from the kids we once were! We have a lot to learn from them.