Raising Creativity

What if one of the most valuable gifts we could give children is the confidence to remain creative throughout their lives?

Creativity is about so much more than painting pictures, making things or being good at art. It shapes the way we think, solve problems, respond to challenges, explore possibilities and find joy in everyday life.

Yet as children grow, they encounter a world that often places greater value on academic achievement, financial success and conventional ideas of ability. Somewhere along the way, many begin to lose confidence in their imagination, originality and creative potential.

How can we help children hold on to their creativity - and continue developing it into adulthood?

In Raising Creativity, educator and author Abigail Steel explores the vital role creativity plays in childhood, education and life beyond school. Drawing on educational thinking, research and practical everyday experiences, she challenges common assumptions about creativity and considers how parents, teachers and other adults can help it flourish.

Discover:

• Why creativity is a fundamental human capacity, not a talent reserved for artists.
• How imagination, curiosity, confidence and creative thinking develop throughout childhood.
• How family life, education and wider society influence children's attitudes towards creativity.
• Why mistakes, experimentation, play and independence matter.
• How to create an environment that welcomes creativity without expensive resources or specialist skills.
• Practical ways to encourage children's ideas without taking over.
• How to support creativity through adolescence and into adult life.

Warm, thoughtful and encouraging, Raising Creativity combines a serious exploration of creativity's place in society with accessible ideas that can make a meaningful difference in everyday life.

You don't have to be an artist to raise a creative child. And creativity isn't something we have to grow out of.

For parents, educators and anyone who believes childhood should nurture not only what children know, but what they might imagine, discover and become.