Growing Through Play: Inspiring Creativity in Young Minds

Creativity isn’t just about painting or playing an instrument — it’s a way of thinking, problem-solving, and seeing the world in new ways. When children engage in creative play, they’re not just having fun — they’re building imagination, confidence, flexibility, and emotional expression.

In this final instalment of our Growing Through Play series, we’re diving into creative development: why it matters, how it evolves, and how the right play environment and toys can help it flourish.

Creative development refers to a child’s ability to:

• Use imagination and original ideas

• Explore self-expression through art, movement, or storytelling

• Solve problems in flexible and open-ended ways

• Think outside the box

Creativity is essential to innovation, empathy, resilience, and adaptability — qualities that will serve children throughout life.

Creative play is a way for children to:

• Make sense of their world — by re-enacting experiences, experimenting, and exploring.

• Express thoughts and feelings — through drawing, building, movement, or role-play.

• Build confidence — by taking risks, trying new things, and making their own decisions.

• Develop independence — there’s no “right way” to be creative, and that freedom fuels learning.

Most importantly? Creativity brings joy. And when learning is joyful, it sticks.

Creativity blooms in unstructured, open-ended environments. Give a child a soft toy, a pile of blocks, or even a cardboard box, and you’ll quickly see imagination take over.

Here’s how play supports creative growth:

Creative toys offer multiple uses and no set outcomes — think magnetic tiles, dolls, or stacking toys.

Pretend play builds narrative skills and encourages children to think beyond themselves.

Through colour, texture, movement, and sound, children explore and express inner thoughts.

Creative kids are curious — they experiment, tweak, and adjust to reach new ideas.

Let’s look at how creative development unfolds through the early years, and what kind of toys support it best.

Even the littlest babies are beginning to explore creatively — through textures, colours, sounds, and cause-and-effect play.

• Offer textured toys and rattles that respond to movement.

• Sing, bounce, and dance with your baby — music and rhythm lay the foundation for creative thinking.

Playfaire Pick:

🎶 Soft Toys — with gentle sounds, soft textures, and charming designs, these sensory toys introduce cause and effect, curiosity, and emotional response — all sparks of early creativity.

This is the golden age of pretend play. Children begin to imitate real life, act out characters, and experiment with different roles and outcomes.

• Provide open-ended toys that can be used in many ways (like blocks or dolls).

• Encourage pretend games: “Can you make a picnic for your animals?” or “Is this a rocket or a train today?”

Playfaire Pick:

🧸 Little Dutch Soft Dolls and Playsets — whether it’s a doll to tuck in or a plush friend to “feed,” these toys encourage role play, empathy, and creative storytelling through daily routines.

Children begin combining ideas, building imaginative worlds, and inventing new games.

• Provide props like scarves, toy food, or figures to build on their ideas.

• Encourage invention: “What story are your blocks telling today?”

• Support arts and crafts time — even simple drawing or collage-making fuels creative thinking.

Playfaire Pick:

🧲 Connetix Magnetic Tiles — more than just a construction toy, these vibrant tiles become castles, rockets, farms, and anything your child imagines. Perfect for collaborative building and design thinking.

A child’s surroundings can either support or stifle creativity. Here's how to make your space more open-ended and imagination-friendly:

• Less is more — too many toys can overwhelm; a few good-quality, open-ended options inspire deeper engagement.

• Organise by type — keep pretend play toys together, art supplies in easy reach, and building materials in view.

• Display their work — proudly hanging drawings or creations shows that their ideas matter.

• Embrace mess and imperfection — creativity thrives in freedom, not perfection.

You don’t need to “teach” creativity — just support it:

• Join in when invited, but let your child lead.

• Ask open-ended questions: “What are you building?” or “What could we try next?”

• Celebrate effort, not outcomes: “You worked really hard on that!”

• Be okay with a little chaos — it’s part of the magic.

Explore Creative Toys at Playfaire.co.uk

From Connetix tiles to cuddle+kind companions and Little Dutch dolls, our collection is curated to inspire creativity, independence, and joyful learning through play.