Most of us love to see creativity in our kids (as long as it’s not expressed in Sharpie on the living room wall).
Encouraging creativity is a great way to boost our children’s self-esteem, independence, and perseverance. And let’s face it, creativity is a huge asset in an economy with a growing number of entrepreneurs. Kids are inspired by and often mimic what they read.
Over the next three weeks, I’ll be focusing on three types of creativity: artistic, inventive, and written creativity. Each post will recommend books that inspire creativity in kids (and some resources too).
Books to Inspire Artistic Creativity
Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds is about a girl who considers herself an artist. But one day she faces a dilemma: how to paint a sky with no blue! Your kids will love her creative solution and be inspired to see things differently.
Windblown by Eduard Manceau is an inventive book to help kids look at shapes in new ways. Manceau rearranges the shapes into multiple objects. Your kids will be inspired to create their own.
Hands: Growing Up to be an Artist by Lois Ehlert looks like a hodgepodge scrapbook. Ehlert talks about her childhood and using the tools provided by her mother and father in her own creative endeavors.
The Scraps Book: Notes From a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert will especially be appreciated by fans of her other books. I love how she demonstrates the process of finding ideas and actually planning a layout for a picture book.
Resources to Inspire Artistic Creativity
Now that your child is inspired, make sure they have the tools handy they need to create! Here are a few suggestions.
American Girl Crafts Super Paper Pad 
Sculpy Polimer Clay 
Construction Paper 
Art Set 
Alex Toys Giant Art Jar
Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book
642 Things to Draw
What about you? Do you have any favorite books that inspire creativity in kids?
Related
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books have inspired my girls to consider how they’d tell their stories. For me as a kid, it was Where the Wild Things Are. It made me consider what’s out there in our imagination.
That’s really interesting. I suppose most books written as a diary might encourage kids in their own story-telling. Love Where the Wild Things are! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I’m going to put these on reserve at my library right now. I hope they have them all!
Wonderful! I hope they get the creative juices flowing in your house! 🙂