6 Activities for Super Creative Kids

by Activity Rocket

Looking for after school enrichment for your kids? Creative activities benefit a kid’s communication, social, and cognitive skills–in addition to being just plain fun!

via woodleywonderworks
via woodleywonderworks

If you’re looking for something beyond the typical art class, try some of the following activities to get their creative juices flowing!

1. Jewelry making
Was your child into the Rainbow Loom trend? Let them take those skills to the next level with jewelry-making classes! Kids develop their creativity and fine motor skills as they use techniques like beading and weaving to create their very own bracelets, necklaces and earrings. And what’s cooler than art you can wear?

 2. Drama
Does your child need an outlet for his big and bubbly personality? Drama lets kids express themselves onstage while also teaching discipline and teamwork. Options range from Shakespeare to improvisation to musical theatre.

 3. Animation
Have a budding artist on your hands? Let your child take his art off the page! Animation is a fun way to combine visual arts and technology. Your child can choose between two-dimensional animation or claymation.

4. Creative writing
Words can create just as beautiful of a work of art as paint and a paintbrush. Kids can explore their own literary creativity through poetry, playwriting, or blogging!

 5. DJ
Is your kid musical, but looking for something different from the typical piano or guitar lessons? Have her try her hands at the turntables! Kids can explore their creativity as they scratch, mix and create their own songs!

6. STEM/engineering
While often thought of as the antithesis to the arts, STEM—which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics—promotes creativity in problem solving and design. Help your kid discover the fun in science with classes like robotics, LEGOs, and even aerospace engineering!

Interested in signing up for one of these activities but don’t know where to start? Head over to ActivityRocket.com, the number one stop for kids’ classes, camps and sports to find and register for any of these activities, among many more!

New Babysitter? Make It Fun!


Most parents are familiar with the crying at the door, big puppy-dog eyes, vice grip on your leg routine when attempting to leave their children with a new sitter.

Why not solve the babysitter anxiety issue with a pre-planned special activity reserved for that evening? Talk it up (but not too much) and be sure it’s not something you’ve done before. It can be a fun craft project, recipe, or a new toy kept hidden away until that night. Here are a few ideas…

1) Make Play Dough
This is easy enough and your kids will love the process as well as the result. Try the cook or no-cook kind.

Cooked Play Dough Recipe

2 cups flour
3 tbsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup salt
4 tbsp oil
1/2 cup boiling water
food coloring

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix oil, food coloring and boiling water in a separate container. Stir liquid mixture until cool enough to knead. Knead until smooth. If play-dough is too dry, add more water, a little at a time. If play-dough is too crumbly, knead in a small amount of oil. Store in an airtight container.

No-Cook Play Dough

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tbsp oil
1 and 1/2 cup water
Mix oil and food color together before adding to dry mixture. Mix until pliable. Keep in container or plastic bag.

2) Make Lemonade

Whether you want to actually put up a stand is debatable, but making and tasting the lemonade is always fun. Depending on the number of children, you’ll need anywhere from four to 16 lemons. You can figure four per child. You’ll also need cold water, sugar, and a pitcher.

If you have a citrus squeezer, it’s much easier. Kids can do the squeezing on their own, though toddlers might need a little help. Once you’ve got an ample amount of juice in the pitcher, add some cold water and then start with spoonfuls of sugar. Have the kids taste the lemonade after each sugar addition. Note how much sugar it takes to make it palatable. (This could serve as a good lesson on the perils of juice in general.) Once it’s satisfactory, give everyone a cup full of ice, and enjoy the fruits of your labor! Lovely on a hot summer day.

3) New Toy/Game/Art Supplies

As the weather warms up, croquet is fun and easy for little ones. Get an inexpensive set at your local toy store and have the sitter set it up on the grass or even at the park. Toddlers and school-age kids will get a kick out of trying to get the ball through the small wickets. Just don’t let them use the mallets on each other!

A new coloring book and crayons or markers can go a long way. Don’t you remember the smell and lovely pointy-ness of a new box of crayons? Pick out a coloring book featuring his or her favorite character (Dora, Mickey Mouse) and you won’t go wrong.

Kids love anything with water. In the summer, fill the baby pool up and let kids splash. Or try a Slip ‘N Slide. In winter, fill the tub with bubbles and new sand toys (they work just as well in water) and let them go to town. Just be sure to instruct your sitter to be extra-vigilant when playing with water.

A new sitter can be fun and a nice break from the norm. Embrace it!

And, remember to use UrbanSitter to find your next sitter — it’s easy and you can book sitters online in minutes!