Little Projects for Creative Kids

When my kids were little, I'd leave "scenes to stumble upon" or "groupings" of objects on tables or the floor, with an idea in mind (i.e. spy ware: pretend to be a spy or detective) but didn't mention the grouping or my idea. The key was to let them find these treasures on their own and let them create whatever they wished from the components.

These are kid magnets. {beware of choking hazards}:

• <spy ware> old cell phone, blank notebook, pen, sunglasses, old keys, stick-notes, flash light, hat, binoculars, calculator, magnifying glass
• <cleaning toys> plastic toys, bowl of soapy water (use baby shampoo), spray bottle of soapy water, old toothbrush, cotton balls, little towel
• <make a city> tiny cardboard boxes (i.e. from makeup or soap packaging), tiny plastic boxes, matchbox cars, huge piece of cardboard with a wide curvy road drawn on it, markers
• <classification> empty egg carton, a variety of pasta shapes or beads in plastic cups
• <vet's office> 6 stuffed animals, pretend doctor gear, small chairs, band aids, blank notebook on clip-board, pen, clock, old telephone, stool, calculator, pretend cash register, old computer keyboard, chalk board or white board, scarves, little blankets, pillows {a favorite}
• <still life art> set up a scene on a placemat with a variety of simple shapes (i.e. a vase, pretty box, and an apple), a blank drawing pad, colored pencils or watercolors
• <stamp art> huge piece of butcher paper or postal paper taped to a table, stamps, ink pads, baby wipes {you can use this as gift wrapping paper}
• <restaurant> plastic dishes or tea set, play dough, measuring spoons, slotted spoons, kitchen gadgets, lined notebook, markers, sand timer
• <rock band> metal pots, wooden spoons, whistles, dry pasta in a plastic container, sheet music clipped to cardboard
• <puzzle chaos> 3-5 different wooden puzzles, puzzle pieces in one pile, a few pieces put back in the puzzles
• <ball collection> small and medium sized balls, plastic containers, baskets, buckets, cardboard box with a hole in the bottom
• <doll city> huge piece of posterboard lined with a pretend road, empty doll houses, open and lined up across from each other along the pretend road, basket of mixed up dolls, basket of doll furniture, large green legos
• <roads> wooden blocks or large legos constructed in two lines (to form a path), or in mazes, basket of matchbox cars or little dolls
• <animal land> neatly line the walls of a small hallway with a huge number of stuffed animals, or lean them along the front or back of a large couch.
• <tea party> at the dining room table, set the table with a plastic tea party set, placemats, plastic place settings, stuffed animals in each seat
• <toilet paper bowling> in a hallway, a bunch of toilet paper rolls built into pyramids, butcher paper or postal paper with lines from the rolls to a box of large balls 3' away

The key is not to mention the scenes you've set up, and you can set up more than one!

More...

• A Creative Childhood
• A Project List for Kids
• 12 Day Brighteners
• Inventing Bed-Time Stories
• Making Maps
• Illustration Treasure Hunt
• Praising Kids' Art
• How {Not} to Micro-Manage Kids' Art
• Eroding Kids' Creativity