Aged seven: Killing Creativity We're all born with creative potential, but by adulthood it has often disappeared. We explore our seven-year-olds' imaginations and see how creatively they respond to the tasks we set.

In this article

Programme clips

How creative is your child?

There's no single way to be creative. You can express your creativity by making or painting something, acting, singing, telling stories or simply being open to different solutions to a puzzle or problem.

In this episode, five of our families explore what creativity is and why it matters. We consider whether school dampens children's creativity and look at ways we can encourage and promote creative curiosity.

We also explore how children distinguish between imagined fears and reality, and how their growing awareness of the 'real world' affects their ability to be creative.

The impossible man (1.19 minutes)
The children are encouraged to use their imaginations to draw a man who couldn't possibly exist.

Questions for Santa (1.50 minutes)
A live web link is set up to Santa and the children are invited to ask questions.

Monster in a box (1.52 minutes)
How do the children cope when left alone with a 'monster in the box'? Who can't resist having a look and what do they see?

Children's creativity can be described as the act of making something uniquely their own. Whether it's a song, poem, drawing or sculpture, the joy is in using their imaginations to produce something new.

You may have noticed that your child isn't interested in accurate drawings or the facts of a story. Children tend to start their creative journey with little regard to representing the world as it actually is.

Research shows that, for most children, this balance eventually changes. There's often a drop in creativity as they enter preschool. No one knows why this is. It could be their maturing mind becoming more aware of the difference between reality and fantasy, or the result of less time spent playing.

The impact of adults

You can shape your child's creative development

You can shape your child's creative development through feedback and the opportunities you provide. Children are highly motivated by praise and will adapt their work to win approval.

If, for example, you reward your child with positive comments for art that looks like the 'real thing' - a drawing of an animal that looks like a dog, for example - they'll be more likely to try to produce accurate likenesses in the future. If 'keeping inside the lines' is praised, then neater artwork will result.

Promoting creativity

Only praising artistic work that's lifelike or neat can lead children to do more of the same and produce less that is abstract or unusual.

To promote creativity, child pyschologists recommend that you:

• Encourage your child's curiosity and exploration
• Give your child the time and materials to develop creative projects
• Give your child some structure and guidance to creative play, but don’t tell them how to express themselves
• Set an example - if you think and express yourself creatively, you offer a role model for creativity

How creativity develops

In the early years, creativity grows and develops alongside your child's cognitive ability. A young child's drawing may be more detailed or a story more complicated because they're advanced in their development - it's not always about being more creative.

Girls are usually a little ahead in their development in the early years, so their drawings will generally be a little more sophisticated.

Individual interests

Each child differs in what interests and engages them. While one will love to paint and draw, another will leap at the chance to build structures out of blocks, or create a play about an imaginary character.

There's no right or wrong choice of creative arts

There's no right or wrong choice of creative arts, and for many families it's a matter of trying different things until each child finds their favourite.

Equally, there's no downside to children's creativity. It's often used to help children express their emotions - when they're in hospital, for example. It can also help children with behavioural problems. The satisfaction of producing something not judged on a traditional pass or fail scale can boost their self-esteem.

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