Screen freedom | 6 books that make creativity explode
Instead of screens today, why not… read a book that charges up creativity?
Any kind of book is wonderful food for creative minds, but some books make kid’s creativity explode out of their heads. Or something like that.
Over the years we’ve collected many of these books and my creative-sponge Cappers is the one that seeks them out the most. She likes nothing more than to fill in the quizzes, complete the drawings, explore the suggestions and try out new things. I find these books equally fascinating and reading them reminds me to stay curious and mindful. Any of these books would make a unique and special birthday gift for friends too. Here are 6 of our absolute favourites for bigger kids (and I’ll share our top 6 for little kids tomorrow!).
6 creativity-inspiring books for older kids
1. How to be an explorer of the world by Keri Smith.
Keri Smith is a conceptual artist and author of lots more creative books for kids like Finish this book and This is not a book, Living out loud and Wreck this journal (can you tell I found it really hard to choose just one Keri Smith book to include!? I should have just made this whole post a Keri Smith dedication!). I chose this particular one because this book is an adventure that teaches kids (and their parents) to look past what we see and think about what we find. I honestly cannot recommend the amazing world of Keri Smith enough! Her new book The imaginary world of… is on our ‘next’ list!
2. Listography: my future by Lisa Nola
Your child will be filling out these 74 lists well into their future, but that’s part of the fun of it. A book that will have creative minds dreaming of all the possibilities while they manage to snapshot exactly what they are like right now. Through what we want to be we get a very good idea about what we are right now. There are loads more Listography books if your child catches the list bug…
3. Play these games by Heather Swain
There are enough things to do in this little book to put my #screenfreedom out of a job. It’s chock-full of stuff for kids to play using everyday objects you can find around the house. Neat, hey? From balloons and buttons to velcro, this book will mean you will never quite look at everyday things in quite the same way (up for a little Table crocquet, anyone?). Heather Swain is well worth checking out.
4. Draw paint and print like the great artists by Marion Deuchars
Marion Deuchars is like the fine art version of my favourite Keri Smith (see 1 above). She has a pile of beautiful, creative books for kids but this is our best-loved. The book introduces children to 18 great artists, teaches them about the artists’ methods and techniques and encourages them to explore their style. I confess I got in trouble for doing the Paul Klee pages in Cappers’ copy of this book… I couldn’t help myself! It was very hard to stop at just one too!
5. Yellow Owl’s little prints by Christine Schmidt
Of course, there are loads and loads of cute, creative crafty books for kids, but I chose this one by indie artist Christine Schmidt because print making is something that is often overlooked. It’s also a terrific book to explore together as lots of the projects need a couple of pairs of hands to manage!
6. The nature connection by Clare Walker Leslie
This book by naturalist Clare Walker encourages families to go outside and explore. It’s a workbook that helps kids track the changing seasons and it’s full of really interesting, exciting projects to complete. It will show kids how to notice more, to record and to see patterns and compositions wherever they may be. You can try the book out using these free worksheets.
Do you have a different favourite? Please share!
