Creative activities for children ? They're so much more than just a craft to occupy a rainy afternoon. In fact, they're real keys to unlocking their imagination, boosting their self-confidence, and helping them better understand the whirlwind of their emotions.
Why creativity is a pillar for your child's development
As parents, we always seek the best for our children, especially ways to see them flourish away from the sometimes overwhelming pull of screens. Crafts are a wonderful and simple answer to this need, a true playground for growth. Every stroke of the pencil, every piece of paper glued together, is a small step further on the path to self-discovery and well-being.
Putting shapes and colors on what is not said
For a child between the ages of 6 and 12 , finding the right words to describe what they feel, such as frustration, shyness, or a little anxiety, can sometimes be an impossible task. Creating, whether through drawing, modeling, or even building, opens up another way for them to express themselves.
Tip for parents: Imagine a difficult day at school. When they get home, rather than insisting they share their story, simply suggest they draw a picture of their day. No pressure, no expectations. You might be surprised to see how a dark color or a strong pencil stroke can release tension they couldn't put into words.
Creativity gives children a language beyond words. It is a safe space where they can explore, make mistakes, and most importantly, be proud to say, "I did it!"
Building Confidence, One Creation at a Time
Every little masterpiece is a victory. Finishing a collage, inventing a story from scratch, building a cardboard box... these are all successes that build self-esteem. Children discover for themselves that they are capable of transforming an idea into something concrete. They learn to overcome small challenges—that piece of tape that doesn't stick, that color that isn't quite right—and to be proud of the result. This pride is the foundation of self-confidence.
The creative journal, a companion for its development
To keep track of all these adventures, a creative journal is a fantastic tool. It's much more than just a notebook. It's a space all his own, where he can paste his creations, tell the stories behind his drawings, or simply jot down a crazy idea. It's not a homework assignment, but rather a secret garden that grows with him. For you, it's also a wonderful opportunity to strengthen your bond. Leafing through his journal together is an open door to his inner world, a way to share his joys and celebrate his unique journey.
What if we explored emotions with a personalized wheel?
Talking about how we feel is a key skill. But for a child, it's often a very abstract concept. How do you put words to a feeling swirling inside? This workshop transforms this major challenge into a moment of play and sharing. The idea is simple: create a "wheel of emotions" together that will become your tool for identifying, naming, and understanding what's going on in your head and heart.
This isn't just another DIY project. It's a way to build a shared language around feelings, a real bridge between his inner world and yours.
Build your wheel, step by step
You don't need much to get started. A round piece of cardboard (a paper plate or the outline of a regular plate will do the trick), markers, a pair of scissors, glue, and a few old magazines will do the trick. The most important thing is to get your child involved.
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First, divide the wheel into slices. Take a ruler and draw lines from the center, like cutting a cake. Each slice will correspond to an emotion: joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise... Let your child choose the emotions that speak to them the most.
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Then, we bring each emotion to life. This is where the magic happens! For joy, will he scribble a big, bright yellow sun? Or will he prefer to cut out and paste a picture of a laughing child from a magazine? For anger, perhaps he will choose red, very strong lines, or even a drawing of a volcano.
This moment of personalization is essential. The goal isn't to impose a definition of emotions on him, but to help him find his own. It's his wheel, his secret code for talking about what he feels.
The most valuable thing here isn't the end result, but the conversation you're about to have. By simply asking, "What color does sadness look like to you? What does it feel like?" you're sending a powerful message: what you're feeling is important and has a right to exist.
This attraction to creativity is not insignificant. A study has shown that young French people are particularly drawn to artistic activities such as drawing and painting, with an interest 20 points higher than the average. If you are interested in the subject, you can take a look at this analysis on the cultural practices of young people .
Integrate the wheel into your family's daily life
Once the wheel is finished and dry, it's ready to become a real member of the family! Hang it somewhere everyone can see and use it easily, like on the fridge door or in their room.
The goal is to make it a simple little ritual, without it ever becoming a chore. In the evening, at bedtime for example, you can suggest that they spin a small arrow (which you will have added to the center with a paper fastener) to show what the main emotion of their day was. This is an excellent excuse to open a dialogue about their experience.
Free painting, as seen here, is an excellent example of this freedom of expression.
This approach, where the child follows his intuition to choose his colors and shapes, is exactly the spirit we are looking for when personalizing the wheel of emotions.
The My Book Story notebook then becomes the perfect companion for this little ritual. After identifying an emotion on the wheel, your child can grab their journal to draw or write about what triggered that feeling. The wheel helps pinpoint the emotion; the journal allows them to tell their story and give it meaning.
Build Confidence with the Success Tree
After learning to name and welcome your emotions, it's time to cultivate the positive things that nourish them: the feeling of being capable, self-esteem. A child's self-esteem is a bit like a little secret garden. For it to flourish, it needs attention and a little regular watering. This is exactly the idea behind the Success Tree workshop, a simple and truly effective creative activity for children .
The goal is to make your child's successes visible and tangible. We don't focus on what's difficult or on small everyday mistakes, but on their strengths and qualities. It's a way to show them, in black and white, everything they've already accomplished.
How to increase pride by materializing it?
The idea is simple: together, you'll create a large tree that will symbolize their confidence. Take a large sheet of paper, a piece of cardboard, or whatever you have on hand. Let your child draw a beautiful tree, with a solid trunk and many branches that stretch out.
- The trunk is him, firmly anchored in the center of his world.
- Roots are the people and things that support him: his family, his friends, his teachers, and why not his cat or his dog!
- The branches , however, are just waiting for one thing: to be decorated with their accomplishments.
The heart of the activity is the leaves. Cut out lots of them from paper of all colors. Each leaf represents an achievement, an effort, or a quality your child is proud of.
The important thing is to appreciate everything. Overcoming the fear of asking a question in class, solving a puzzle, sharing a toy without being asked... these are huge victories for a child.
Your role as a caring guide
As a parent, your role isn't to tell your child what to be proud of. Rather, the idea is to help them identify their own successes. The trick is to ask the right questions—ones that encourage reflection without prompting them with the answers.
Examples of questions to ask:
Rather than saying, "You can be proud of yourself for tidying your room," try a more open approach:
- “What made you most proud of yourself this week?”
- “Tell me about a time when you felt strong or courageous.”
- “What is the nicest thing you have done for someone today?”
Each answer becomes a new leaf to stick on a branch. Seeing your tree grow and become more colorful day after day is an incredible source of motivation that visibly boosts your self-esteem.
Anchor these successes in your creative journal
This tree is a living work of art. Display it in a busy place at home, like on the fridge or in their room. It will remind them at a glance of their worth and abilities. To take it even further, the My Book Story journal is the perfect companion. It allows you to keep a more personal record of these moments. Your child can choose a "leaf" that is particularly important to them and tell its story in their notebook. They can draw a scene where they helped a friend in the yard or write a few words about how they felt when they received a compliment.
By moving from a creative family activity (the tree) to a moment of introspection (the journal), a fleeting pride transforms into a deeper conviction. He learns to recognize his strengths and remember them. This is how, leaf by leaf, a solid and lasting self-confidence is built.
The Creative Chinese Portrait: Draw Me Who You Are
We've all played Chinese portraits at some point. It's a classic, and for good reason! It's a fun way to discover yourself. But for a child, answering questions like "If I were an object..." can quickly become a little too abstract. What if we dusted off this game a little? Let's add a touch of creativity, something to touch, something to see, to make it a truly creative activity for children .
The idea is simple: instead of responding with words, your child will respond with a creation. Drawing, painting, a collage... anything goes! Introspection then transforms into an artistic adventure.
Questions to reveal your personality in color
We're forgetting the rather dull questions. Here, the goal is to explore themes that open the doors to his imagination. We want to go beyond his tastes to get to the heart of his dreams, his values, what makes him tick.
Here are some ideas for questions for parents to get the discussion and creativity started:
- If you were a superpower, which one would you choose? Why this one?
- If you were a season, how would you draw it?
- If you were a dream, what would happen in it?
- If you were a feeling, what color would it be?
For each question, your child creates a small work of art. To the question "If I were a color...", they could answer "I would be a rainbow to make people happy" and create a large, vibrant drawing. If they were an animal, perhaps they would mold a brave lion out of play dough.
The most important thing is not the final result, but what the child puts into it. Each creation is a little piece of their personality, a piece of the puzzle that makes them unique.
Drawing and painting are safe bets for this type of activity. It's no coincidence that visual arts are so popular: drawing, for example, is practiced by 22% of men and 18% of women . You can also consult more information on the popularity of creative hobbies to see how much they are part of our daily lives.
His journal becomes his own art gallery
This reimagined Chinese portrait is a gentle way to help your child reflect on who they are, their strengths, and what makes them so special. Each creative response is a small step closer to self-knowledge. This is where the My Book Story journal becomes a true ally. It transforms into a treasure chest for preserving all these treasures. Imagine the notebook becoming a personal art gallery, an intimate exhibition where each page reveals a new facet of their personality. Your child can paste their drawings in it, take photos of their sculptures, or simply write a few words about their creations.
Together, you'll create a personality book that celebrates their rich identity. It's a wonderful keepsake that will show them how much they've grown and evolved over the years.
Tame your emotions with the worry box
Worries, even the smallest ones, can quickly become huge mountains in a child's head. Teaching them how to manage them isn't just a tip; it's an essential skill for their entire life. This workshop is designed for just that: we're going to transform a simple cardboard box into a refuge for their worries, their famous "Worry Box."
The idea is simple yet incredibly effective. By giving concrete form to their anxieties—a drawing, a few words on paper—the child can literally put them aside. It's a powerful way to gain distance and instantly feel lighter.
Transform a simple box into a secret chest
It all starts with a shoebox or any cardboard box lying around the house. The funniest, and arguably most important, step is personalizing it. This is when your child will really make the item their own.
Take out all the materials you have on hand:
- Paint to cover it with her favorite colors.
- Felt-tip pens to draw suns, friendly monsters or whatever comes to mind.
- Stickers, glitter, pieces of fabric, ribbons... anything goes!
- You can even stick pictures cut out from magazines that evoke joy or calm.
Let him do as he pleases. The goal is for this box to become his secret garden , an object he likes to look at and wants to use. This creative impulse is in itself a way of regaining control over what agitates him.
A little ritual to lay down your burdens
Once the box is ready and dry, explain its purpose. It's there to keep his worries warm, so he no longer has to carry them alone. The ritual is simple, but its impact is enormous. Every evening, or whenever a worry arises, simply take a small piece of paper. He can then:
- Write down what worries him, in his child's words.
- Draw it , which is often simpler and more meaningful for an emotion that is difficult to name.
Then he folds the paper and slips it into the box. By closing the lid, he performs a very powerful symbolic gesture: he entrusts his worry to a trusted guardian.
This simple gesture teaches children that they have the right to press the "pause" button on their negative thoughts. They understand that a worry, even if it always exists, doesn't have to take over their entire mind, all the time.
Open the box to discuss and find solutions
Be careful, the box is not a trash can! Its role is to contain, not to make it disappear by magic. Get into the habit, perhaps once a week, of sitting down quietly together to open it. It's a special moment, perfect for strengthening your bond and their trust. Take out the papers one by one. You'll often be surprised to see that many worries have flown away on their own! This is already a great lesson about the passage of time. For others, discuss it calmly. Listen to your child, without judgment, and explore possible solutions together. The idea is not to sort everything out for them, but to guide them so that they discover their own strengths .
Moreover, practicing creative activities as children is a deeply rooted habit among us. In France, 45% of people aged 15 and over have a creative hobby. This is proof that creating is a natural and effective way to express yourself and feel better. For those who are interested, this data on the cultural practices of the French is quite telling.
With their worry box, your child learns a fundamental emotional skill: naming a problem, expressing it, and figuring out how to act on it. They no longer have to endure their emotions; they learn to dance with them.
Answers to your questions about creative activities
As a parent, it's perfectly normal to have questions when you want to introduce something new into your family routine. And creative activities for children are no exception! Away from the pressure to perform, here are some tips to guide you, with an emphasis on well-being and fun.
My child tells me he is not creative, how should I react?
Ah, that famous phrase! We've all heard it before. Often, behind these words lies a simple fear: the fear of doing something wrong. Your first role is to reassure him. Explain to him that creativity isn't just about drawing a horse that looks exactly like a horse. It's much more than that! It's about inventing a completely wacky story, building the tallest pillow tower in the living room, or just having fun choosing colors to decorate an old box.
A helpful tip for parents: Always emphasize the effort and enjoyment your child experienced, never the end result. To start gently, offer activities with no stakes, such as free-form doodling on a large sheet of paper or an abstract collage with torn magazine paper. The important thing is to show them that there's no right or wrong way to create.
How much time should we spend on it?
Forget the idea of having to block off an entire afternoon right away. The real key to success is consistency, not duration. It's much more effective to establish a short ritual of 15 minutes of creativity several times a week than a long session once a month that could quickly feel like a chore. The easiest way to adapt is to adapt to their level of concentration and mood. The goal is for creativity to become synonymous with relaxation and pleasure, not another box to check off in an already busy schedule.
Do you need a lot of equipment to get started?
Not at all! This is one of the biggest myths about creativity. We often imagine that we need a closet full of art supplies, but in reality, everyday objects are often the best sources of inspiration.
To get started, you don't need much. Here's a basic list:
- Paper (white, colored, or even the back of old bills)
- Some colored pencils, felt-tip pens and a good old pencil
- A pair of round-tipped scissors and a glue stick
- Treasures from the recycling bin: cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, old magazines, egg cartons...
Play is all about showing your child that their imagination can transform anything. A simple cardboard box can become a castle, a racing car, or a house for their figurines. This simple approach makes creative activities for children accessible to everyone, economical, and even environmentally friendly.
To accompany you on this wonderful adventure and help your child keep track of their explorations, My Book Story has created a journal unlike any other. The My Book Story notebook is the perfect companion to help these creative moments become a true exploration of self. Discover how it can enrich your family's daily life .