Creative activities are great for your development and relaxation. This is true no matter your age!
Whether it’s painting, sketching, writing or dancing that you enjoy, creative endeavours have much to offer your mind and body.
They exercise parts of your brain that you might not usually use. Plus, there’s that special feeling of accomplishment when you create something from scratch.
If you’re ready to begin a creative journey for you or your child, we’ve compiled the best creative activities in London here on Loopla.
What are creative activities?
Creative activities may include any activity that uses your own original ideas and imagination to produce something unique. Some everyday creative activities include drawing, painting, drama, crafting, music and writing!
Why are creative activities good for children?
Creative activities are great for children as they can help them develop their imagination, autonomy and confidence!
The nature of creative activities allows children to express themselves freely with minimal rules.
They can practise setting their own goals and use their creative abilities and problem-solving skills to achieve what they’ve set out to do. A child can choose to paint a pink cow or create a one-line poem — there’s no right or wrong!
It can also help to build self-esteem, as children get to produce something that comes from their own unique selves! (1)
Creative activities are good for:
-
- Cognitive development
- Problem-solving
- Expressing emotions
- Having fun
- Self-esteem
- Motor skills
Creative activities for toddlers
Creative activities are great for toddlers because they help to expand their imaginations, develop their autonomy (which they crave at this age!) and enhance their self-expression!
Some ideas for activities include open-ended storytelling, freestyle dancing, art and more!
Just remember to keep their developmental stage in mind to set them up for success! For example, art tools might need to be bigger to allow for easier grip, and stories may need to be simplified for their understanding.
At the moment, we’re loving these creative activity clubs for toddlers from Gymboree Play & Music and The Conservatoire.
You can expect lots of arts and crafts using a wide variety of tools, like painting, sticking and moulding clay.
Plus, you get to leave the mess out of the home, which is a bonus for many parents!
What are creative activities for pre-nursery children?
Some creative activities for pre-nursery children (1-3 years old) include arts and crafts, building structures with open-ended toys and drama or singing.
In the arts and crafts category, you’ll find lots of painting, with big brushes and bold colours, along with moulding clay and collage-making.
Children who like creating 3D structures will enjoy building with LEGOs, blocks or magnetic tiles.
Your young one might also be interested in creating stories together through song, dance and storytelling.
Some creative and imaginative activities for toddlers
Here are some common creative and imaginative activities that you could try with your toddler:
-
- Finger painting
- Sculpting Play-Doh or clay
- Building unique structures with blocks, LEGOs or magnet tiles
- Cutting and pasting to create a simple craft
- Drawing with chalk outdoors
- Singing, dancing and acting out stories together
- Creating puzzles with cardboard pieces and markers
- Baking and decorating simple treats, like cookies or cupcakes
Best creative activities for toddlers in London
The Conservatoire in Blackheath, London, will bring out the artist in your little one through a wide variety of art activities. They have lessons for six-month-olds to four-year-olds!
Gymboree Play & Music in Wimbledon, London, introduces painting, sculpting, and more to budding young artists. Suitable for kids aged 18 months to five years old!
Creative activities for kids
For kindergarten and school-aged children, some of the best creative activities include inventing things from everyday materials, coming up with their own fantastical stories or comics and exploring different art and craft styles!
All these activities help improve their motor skills and encourage them to think outside the box to come up with unique ideas.
If you’re looking for some help in coming up with creative activities for your child, why not check out these workshops:
- The Fashion School in Chelsea, London, is perfect for budding fashion icons who want to learn about sewing and creating their own unique clothes!
- art-K in London offers traditional art classes for children ranging from painting and drawing to sculpting and metal tooling. Your young one will have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of art forms in this creative environment.
- Polka Theatre’s drama workshops for kids offer hands-on, engaging workshops designed to help kids discover the magic of theatre and express themselves in a safe, supportive environment.
Why do children need creative activities?
Children need creative activities as a way to have fun, express themselves, nurture their imagination and help with their development. (2)
Working with paints or sewing equipment can hone key design and motor skills while building a spaceship out of recycled materials encourages thinking outside the box and problem-solving.
There’s also that incredibly satisfying feeling when you create something with your own two hands — a great self-esteem booster for your young one!
What are creative learning activities?
Creative learning activities promote learning and growth through creative and imaginative projects. Art and craft activities like weaving your own wall hanging can help kids learn about patterns, while drama games like mirroring each other’s movements help to develop empathy.
What are three activities that foster creativity in children?
Some activities that can foster creativity in children include: (3)
- Open-ended art projects. Simply leave them with some paint, markers or play dough and see what happens!
- Explore musical instruments and experiment with different volumes, beats and melodies.
- Storytelling sessions. You could give your child a prompt and give them total freedom to develop their own characters and story. Another idea is to have a “one-word story” where you each take turns saying one word to form a story together.
Creative activities for teenagers
Teens are at a stage where they’re trying to figure out their own identity and what makes them unique. Creative activities are a great way to express themselves and discover new passions.
Some popular creative activities for teens include writing their own books or poetry, decorating their room with handmade photo collages and experimenting with new cooking or baking recipes.
If your teen would like some ideas through creative activity groups, art-K workshops are a great environment for teens to explore a variety of art forms like painting or sculpting.
Make Mee Studio also has sewing lessons for teens where they can create all sorts of items like cushion covers and even clothes!
Fortismere Holiday Camp in Muswell Hill, London, has a comic holiday camp for teens where they’ll learn the fundamentals of creating stories, characters and comic design.
What are some fun arts and crafts ideas for teens?
Some popular arts and crafts ideas for teens include:
- DIY jewellery and clothing. This might include tie-dye T-shirts, sewing your own clothes and making hand-beaded jewellery.
- Personalised room decor like photo collages, fairy lights or woven wall hangings.
- Drawing and painting using different mediums like watercolour, markers or pastels.
- Creating your own phone case using paint, glue, cross-stitch or pressed flowers.
Creative activities for adults
Being an adult doesn’t mean we have to stop being creative! In fact, engaging in creative activities can do wonders for our mental health and overall well-being.
Many are drawn to traditional arts like painting as a way to relax and meditate over calming brushstrokes. Others like drama and acting, as they can bring out another side of their personalities, while writing can be ideal for those who want to express things that are difficult to say.
Simply find something that interests you and start creating!
How to find creative hobbies
To find a good creative hobby, start off with what already interests you based on what you know from friends, family or past experiences.
From there, you can start searching for local community clubs or workshops on the internet.
Don’t forget to step outside your comfort zone and explore other creative activities that you might not have thought of, like photography, writing and drama.
Unusual crafts for adults
Some unusual craft ideas for adults include:
- Creating flower vases out of wine bottles (4)
- Corkboard travel map (5)
- Painted wood coasters (6)
- Mason jar wind chime (7)
Best creative activities for adults
The Fashion School runs parent and child sewing workshops. These are a great way to bond with your child while getting creative!
Polka Theatre’s comedy workshops for families will have you and your kids bonding and growing together creatively through laughter and fun!
FAQs: Creative activities UK
What are examples of creative expression activities?
Some examples of creative expression activities include dancing, painting, pottery, singing, writing, sculpting, acting, crafting and designing.
How do you teach creative skills?
When it comes to teaching creative skills, it's important to encourage your child to think outside of the box and to take risks.
This is where the idea of just playing around becomes very important — no matter what your creative activity is. For example, if your child is into art, encourage doodling and experimenting with different mediums.
How do creative activities help child development?
Engaging in creative activities helps your child to develop key critical thinking skills from an early age. It also encourages them to experiment with new ideas and explore new approaches to problems. Creative play can help children improve their self-regulation. In plain English, this means that it can help them get better at managing their behaviour and reactions to things that are happening around them. (8)
References
- “Creative activities for preschooler learning and development”, raisingchildren.net.au
- “Creativity and play: Fostering creativity”, PBS
- “Creative activities for school-age learning and development”, raisingchildren.net.au
- “Painted wine bottles”, Amiee Page – Crafts by Amanda
- “DIY cork board travel map with the Cricut EasyPress 2”, Heidi Kundin – Happiness is Homemade
- “DIY wood coasters”, Debbie Chapman – One Little Project
- “Mason Jar Wind Chime”, Jane and Sonja – Crafts by Amanda
- “Does play promote self-regulation in children?” Elena Savina – Taylor & Francis Online