Toys that Foster Creativity and Imagination in Children

If you want your children to optimize their creative potential, they must have quality toys that allow for open-ended play. What kinds of toys should you look for?

Blocks.
All children need blocks. I prefer plain, unpainted wooden blocks in a variety of sizes and shapes. There are certainly benefits to blocks in terms of motor skill development. A young child will get great joy from simply stacking a few blocks - and then knocking them down. While it has been my experience that most boys never get tired of the 'knocking down' part of block play, their abilities in stacking and constructing get more and more complex. This is where creative development begins to blossom. With a bucket of blocks, a child has a world of possibilities with what they can do. A child can build a doll house, skyscraper, or parking garage. Blocks can become roads or fences. It's not a far stretch to role-play the part of an architect or construction worker when there are blocks available. Blocks can easily be integrated into other types of play, as well. They are great for individual play, and also group play. Of all toys that should be made available to children, blocks are number one on my list.

Art Supplies.
This one is almost a no-brainer. Do you want a creative child? Give them the tools to develop their artistic abilities! Even a one year old can scribble with crayons - and these beginning scribbles are just as important to their development as anything else. When your child becomes old enough to scribble, tear paper, or smoosh play dough, you need to start allowing daily access to art supplies. What should you have on hand? Crayons, markers, colored pencils, watercolors, tempera paint, paper, coloring books, play dough (homemade or store bought), scissors (with supervision), glue, glitter, and anything else you can think of! Of course your child won't need (or use) all of these items at once, so don't worry about slowing accumulating your collection of supplies.