Let’s bring back old-fashioned play
A child’s art education and creativity development begins at home with simple yet powerful art materials (no batteries needed). Art is one of the most inventive ways children can play and express themselves with originality and creativity. With the proliferation of expensive, interactive toys that are supposedly better and more stimulating for your child, simple but sensational play activities may be shelved. Over the past few decades, mass marketing has convinced many parents that the more a toy does the better.

Less is more when it comes to creative play. Children would benefit immensely from a move back to natural and open-ended toys and activities. The 50th anniversary of the Crayola 64 Box, which remains one of Crayola’s most popular products, serves as a colorful reminder that toys do NOT need to be interactive. The goal is to get children to interact with toys and creative materials. This is where creativity and problem-solving blossoms. A box of crayons or chalk or water-based paints and some blank paper encourage the kind of interactive, open-ended play that helps develop a child’s imagination and fosters inventive learning. Remember that a child’s art education and creativity development begins at home.