Boost Creativity with Toy Building Blocks

It's fascinating to watch children play, how their minds unleash creative ideas. Their boundless imagination proves anything is possible.

A person who generated many ideas but didn't translate them into action is considered imaginative, but not creative. To act on ideas and to produce are necessary for someone to be creative.

There are various kinds of creativity. A good artist is different from a talented musician and that of an eloquent writer. However, creative individuals have these qualities in common;

Fluency - Generating a lot of ideas, Flexibility - willingness to change, Originality of thought, New Perspective - for example, ability to see and come up with different possibilities, Intelligence, and Openness to new experiences. - Psycon

How Can Playing with Toy Blocks Lead to Creativity

I wrote a related post entitled Experiencing Architecture and Design Through Play, where I discussed the benefits of playing design puzzles and lego for children. They learn the value of patience and organization, teamwork and communication, fine motor skills, creative problem solving, focus and concentration, and lateral thinking.

In playing with lego blocks, their spatial reasoning, three-dimensional understanding of form, structure and space is developed.

Being given a box of loose block pieces, it unlocks various possibilities and ideas for them to create their own original work, their own design.

When combined with other items such as paper, pencils, cardboard, toilet roll carton, glue, and other available materials at home, it sparks more ideas that would fuel their imagination.

The Benefits of Stimulating a Child's Imagination

According to a child educational psychologist mentioned in this article, there are numerous benefits when we tap into the child's imagination when parents actively participate in construction play with their children:

• It encourages children to count, match, organize and etc.
• It nourishes the bond between parents and kids
• It creates a safe space to openly discuss the challenges or issues that the child is facing
• It offers entertainment and steers them away from boredom
• It distracts or eases any physical illness they might have, a headache for example
• It stimulates creativity

How to Foster Creativity Through Inspiring Communication

Before she began, I asked my daughter what she intended to build. She quickly replied, "A house."

Later, I heard her speaking out loud, playing with the lego characters immersed in a dialogue. I stumbled upon these while she was preoccupied on the coffee table. I took snapshots of her sketches and the model she made with these toy block pieces.

According to a psychologist, we could boost the child's creativity by not complimenting the product. Instead, focus on their creative process such as,

"Beautiful selection!"
"Great choice of color!"
"What a unique idea!"

By asking questions about their choices and the process of building and creating, it will encourage them to pursue and trust in their own creative abilities, thus enhancing their self-esteem and self-confidence.

Limited Screen Time

We have some ground rules at home for my 6-year-old daughter. She could only watch TV for 1 hour - 2 hours max. a day. Apart from her karate class and homeschooling, her play hours are spent doing creative activities indoors or indulging in active play. Thus, she learned how to entertain herself.

She doesn't have an Ipad nor a mobile phone except for an old phone with a broken screen that is reserved for built-in games when we're out traveling somewhere whenever she runs out of paper to draw on.

Of course, I am not saying this is how things should be. To each his own. So far, I am amused everytime I hear her play make-believe with her toys. My husband and I are pleased that she is happy to receive sketch pads and art supplies as gifts.