Creativity in Children, According to Ken Robinson

Fostering creativity in children helps them find the best solutions to their problems. Ken Robinson proposes a few guidelines to awaken this quality in children. Discover them here!
Creativity in Children, According to Ken Robinson

Last update: 15 June, 2019

Fostering and letting innovative ideas flow during childhood helps children reach their goals. According to Ken Robinson, this is the foundation of creativity in children.

Creativity and inventiveness in education

Robinson emphasizes that knowledge of creativity and inventiveness is often closely linked to education. Ken Robinson is an educator, writer, and highly recognized international speaker. In 2003, he was made Knight Bachelor by the Queen of England.

Sir Ken Robinson believes that individuals who develop their creativity tend to find appropriate solutions to adverse situations.

Creativity makes them experts at improvisation and good management of day-to-day experiences. According to this expert, this skill should be fostered both at school, at home, at work, and in life in general.

Creativity at school

There are techniques to boost creativity at school. Group ideas, lateral thinking, mind maps, concept maps, selection, classification and quantification of opinions, and Ishikawa diagrams are great options.

A practice that should begin at home

Robinson says that children learn creativity just like they learn how to read. This skill should begin at home, and parents and family members should foster it in their children, as it’ll yield interesting results. It’s a talent and a skill that helps children develop intelligence.

Creativity in Children, According to Ken Robinson
Image: From Sebastiaan ter Burg – Flickr: Sir Ken Robinson Wikipedia Commons

Letting innovative ideas flow during childhood is the foundation on which creativity is built, according to Ken Robinson.

Creativity in life

Creativity is an important skill that children should learn. Ken Robinson believes that creative children have the ability to change their environment. At the end of the day, this makes them happier people.

Those who develop this skill optimally tend to become self-confident individuals who are able to nurture their spirit with assertiveness in every step they take.

How to foster creativity in children without stifling it

Ken Robinson is in favor of an educational system that fosters creativity rather than stifles it. Society must be aware that this mental process is important for both education and students. Not being scared of making mistakes helps children dare to seek answers.

This expert believes that, from the moment educational systems were created, educational rules were imposed. According to him, these rules limit and restrict children, even throughout their entire lives.

Mathematics and the arts

Robinson states that a lack of a true talent hierarchy forces education to perpetuate traditional models. These models impose mathematics and put arts on the back burner, as they’re considered more suitable for free time.

In addition, education aims to replicate a model that prioritizes the world’s needs and ignores people’s needs. To him, educational development puts creativity and the arts on the back burner, to the point of stigmatizing them.

One criticism states that institutions dedicated to the arts don’t schedule enough dance or drawing class hours. Subjects such as mathematics are allotted more class hours.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Azzam, A. M. (2009). Why creativity now? A conversation with Sir Ken Robinson. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 22-26. https://blogs.sch.gr/mariamoschou/files/2012/02/Sir-Ken-Robinson-Why-Creativity-Now.pdf
  • Lowenfeld, V. (1987). Desarrollo de la capacidad creadora. Ed. Kapelusz. Argentina: Buenos aires.
  • Madi, I. (2012). La creatividad y el Niño. Palibrio. Estados Unidos.
  • Robinson, K. (2006). Do schools kill creativity?.
  • Vargas, R. R. (2001). Niños creativos.
  • Wallon, P., Cambier, A. y Engelhart, D. (1992). El dibujo del niño. Siglo XXI editores. España: Madrid.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.