Guest post by Shannon Anderson

Creativity is the ability to make or think of something new, like an idea, a story, or a drawing. Every child is naturally creative, and this skill grows stronger when they play, explore, and practice trying new things. It includes imagining, problem-solving, and using brain connections to link two or more different ideas together.

As a parent, teacher, author, and brain coach, I get to see creativity in action often. I love the ah-ha moments when a child first discovers something through play, experimenting, or even completely by accident. Neuroscience supports that we learn through trials, repetition, and failures. In my classroom, I always told my students that FAIL stands for:

First
Attempt
In
Learning

Sadly, many kids are doing less hands-on play and problem-solving than in the past. Technology is creating a culture of kids on devices more than in the sandbox or at the art table. According to a study from the University at Albany, NY, 87% of children had screen time exceeding recommendations from the American Pediatric Academy.

One hopeful thing I have noticed at the many schools I visit across the country every year is that more schools are offering STEM classes. In these classes, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are blended as kids use hands-on projects to solve real-world problems and think critically. Kids use tools and various materials to create models, products, or inventions. Cardboard is a staple material in STEM rooms. It’s a pliable, recyclable medium kids can manipulate easily for creative uses.

As a children’s book author, I rely heavily on my creativity to craft stories with clever twists or wordplay. I believe my creativity skills come from lots of imaginative play as a kid. For example, my family could not afford the fancy dream dollhouse that many of my friends had. I had to create my own dollhouse out of boxes and other recyclable materials. I used popsicle sticks as hardwood flooring, stickers as wall art, and spray paint caps as chairs. The funny thing is that my friends always wanted to play with my cardboard creations rather than their fancy dollhouses. Their dollhouses were kind of like having coloring books that were already colored. The fun is in creating new things!

One of the books I wrote is entitled Do-It-Yourself Dollhouse. I wrote it about two girls with very different dollhouses. One has a store-bought model, and the other creates her own. You can probably guess which one triggers all kinds of brainstorming, problem-solving, and fun!

This book isn’t just about a fun way to create a dollhouse. I hope kids read it and see that they can create all sorts of things – dioramas, hero headquarters, games, forts, prototypes, and more. I want kids to get excited about the idea of having some cardboard, simple tools, and found items. I want their brains to start thinking about what they could create, what problem they could solve, or how they could combine various pieces and parts.

I recently found out about a cool company, Makedo, that makes tools kids can use with cardboard. They have fasteners, plastic screws, safe saws, hole punchers, and other cardboard construction tools. It causes kids to problem-solve how to make something a certain shape or how to connect parts. It also eliminates the need for as much consumable material like tape and glue. I love this for kids and educators!

User submitted dollhouse on the Makedo Inspiration Hub

I hope through STEM programs, books, and cool tools that encourage creative play, we can inspire our youth to use their imaginations and further develop their creativity. In a time when AI is being used more and more to problem-solve, it is critical now more than ever to encourage good old-fashioned trial-and-error play. Kids’ brains grow and learn through imagination and play. Let’s do more of that. Go get some cardboard!

Thanks to Shannon Anderson for this guest post on the Makedo Blog. You can learn more about her at www.shannonisteaching.com.