How to boost creativity

(and keep brains stimulated over the holidays or lockdown!)

A love of learning, sense of resourcefulness and pursuit of creativity are some of the greatest gifts we can pass  on to our children. In this article, we provide 20 inspiring ideas of how to engage your child’s (or your own)  creative side, whether it be an after-school activity or to fill a holiday period. 

Particularly in an age of such high-pressured testing and media obsession with school league tables, it is easy to  lose perspective of what really matters and what a ‘good education’ should be. Our education philosophy at  Bespoke Tuition lies far from drills and rote learning. We seek to recruit the best Private Tutors in London who  can help students to find the enjoyment in education and offer stimulating tutorials which will nurture curiosity and build independence of thought, imagination and innovation. After all, a creative education should not be restricted by the boundaries of a set curriculum; it should be everlasting and know no limits. Whatever  the age group or subject, an elite 8+ tutor, GCSE tutor or A Level tutor, should be aiming for their English,  Maths or Science student to develop a lifelong passion and zeal for learning, seek out new discoveries, question  the world and develop an inquisitive mind. Bespoke Tuition’s Book Club, Debate Club and Creative  Masterclasses aim to do exactly that. The best tutoring agencies will hand-pick creative, inspiring tutors who  possess the communication skills, vision and originality to draw connections between topics, contextualise  lessons using real-world examples and find a way to relate tutorials to a student’s personal interests. It is this  sense of creativity and bespoke learning that we should aim to inject into the UK education system, allowing  students to grow into confident, independent learners with a self-driven thirst for acquiring knowledge. 

1. Write a Blog 

Turn a reluctant writer into an active one through blog writing (from 11 yrs with supervision) on a  site such as Wix.com. Those aged 13 yrs+ can use wordpress.com, blogger.com or tumblr 

2. Record a podcast 

By recording a podcast on Garageband, students can practise their story writing, recording, sound  editing and promoting. Younger children (from 9 years) can record straight to Audacity or  SoundCloud.  

3. Learn to type 

Typingclub.com (from 7 years) is an engaging way to start learning this valuable life skill.  

4. DIY Fashion (sewing) 

Lisa Comfort’s patterns for skirts, tops and dresses can be downloaded from her Sewoverit.com website. Students can follow online tutorials or join a live sew-along on her youtube channel.

5. Knitting, crocheting and macramé:

Wool and the Gang has over 150 video tutorials  

6. Block Printing Workshops 

Molly Mahon has a wonderful website selling block printer kits as well as new potato printing  tutorials and other creative techniques. 

7. Cultivate a veg patch 

Willow & Wild offer gardening boxes on subscription for 3-8 year olds that include seeds, instructions  and recipes. 

8. Make a Film 

For teens looking to bring their illustrations or logos to life, Skillshare.com runs an animation course  that teaches skills from storyboarding, editing and exporting film to social media.  

9. Art History Tours 

Children’s Art History company TheLittleGrandTour.co.uk offer tours designed to open children’s  eyes to the world of Art from inspiring visits to the National Gallery and V&A. 

10. Explore Origami  

If you enjoy enjoy art, design and maths, try OrigamiEst.co.uk. The repetition is therapeutic and you  will learn about precision and geometry. Explore ideas at: Origami Resource Center. 

11. Learn Cooking skills 

LittleCooksCo’s award-winning healthy baking boxes contain pre-measured ingredients and teach  sieving, grating and whisking (from 3 years). For older children, Delia’s online cookery school is a  great starting point for 7 years+. Nomster Chef and Raddish Kids are also popular. 

12. Documentary-making 

Make a documentary or a 15 minute feature film with the help of Lemonwedgefilmclub.com which  runs a virtual film academy for 6-16 year olds.  

13. Song-writing & recording 

Compose and record a song of your own using a free music creation studio like GarageBand or  Audacity, using the built-in microphone on a laptop of iPad. Those getting more serious could invest  in a professional studio such as Logic Pro Z with a microphone and interface. 

14. Make music 

Elevate your guitar skills to rockstar status with free lessons from Fender or become the piano dynamo you always dreamed of with Diamond Piano. 

15. Create and run a de-pop shop 

Build with appropriate supervision children can be encouraged to make some pocket money (and  learn the value of money) by uploading their unwanted possessions on to sites such as Depop, eBay  or Vinted or start an Etsy shop and sell creations. 

16. Build a treehouse Grylls’ style 

Build a den or a treehouse using plans on Instructables.com and in Bear Gryll’s Survival Skills  handbook: Shelter building. Teens can find an introduction to the design process, tools and materials via  Lee Mothes’ book Keep Out! Build Your Own Backyard Clubhouse. 

17. Check mate! 

Learn and play chess with other kids at Chesskid. 

18. Learn the art of Storytelling 

For some advice on the art of Creative Writing and Storytelling, have a listen of the podcasts devised  by J R Wallis, author and Cambridge creative writing tutor who helps aspiring young writers to  improve their storytelling skills. 

19. Collage maker/Graphic design 

Create a colouring in book/ creative family tree with personal photos with Ipiccy.com. 

20. Mindful Making 

Learn to knit, draw and make jewellery amongst other arts and crafts with Creative Bug . For 3-8 year  olds ToucanBox sends you monthly craft boxes or 5minutefun will inspire you with plenty of free  activities for pre-schoolers to do at home. 

LOOKING TO INSPIRE A LOVE OF ART? 

Check out these additional Learning/Teaching Resources… 

Artsology provides art based games and Arts investigations  

Artrageous with Nate takes kids on video tours discovering creativity and art in an interactive way Doodles Academy is an Art curriculum for Grades 1-5 

National Gallery’s Art Zone This app contains eight interactive activities inspired by works in the  collection of the National Gallery of Art 

MetKids – inspired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and aimed at 7–12 year olds, The Met can be  explored using an interactive map and a time machine, including ideas for creative projects at home. 10 Free University Art Classes you can take online 

Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create social media graphics, presentations,  posters and other visual content 

Google Arts and Culture have partnered with over 2,500 of the world’s leading museums and  galleries offering online virtual tours and online exhibition displays 

• 10 of the world’s best virtual museum and art gallery tours 
• The Louvre 
• Van Gogh Museum 
• The Vatican 
• The Best Of Art Murals In NYC

 For more information on Bespoke Tuition’s team of Tutors, Courses and Creative Masterclasses,  please email info@bespoketuition.com or call 0207 3856795