Setting up Creative Invitations

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A creative invitation is a simple set-up with a few appealing or interesting materials that spark your child’s curiosity and invite them over to create and explore.

The elements of a successful creative invitation are:

  1. Limited materials - Anywhere from two to four materials.

  2. No Instructions - There are no samples or instructions to follow, this is 100% child-driven and open ended.

  3. Captivating presentation - Collect some attractive trays and bowls and arrange everything in an aesthetically pleasing way.

  4. Free choice - Your child may choose to work for five minutes or 30 minutes. 

Let’s break this down even more…

Limited Materials

A creative invitation can be as simple as crayons and some interesting paper shapes (cut into long strips, triangles, and circles). Or a white pencil (or chalk) and black paper. Or just a new set of markers and an art journal. Basic supplies, when arranged in a fresh and interesting way, can be seen in a new light and entice children to sit down and explore.

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Maybe you have some compelling packing materials that came in your latest online order? Set those out on a tarp with some paints. Or put them on the table with some glue and collage materials. Or if it’s styrofoam, set out some golf tees, toothpicks, or pipe cleaners that your child can poke into the squishy material.

Playdough is another wonderful, tactile material that kids love and can easily be used for a multitude of creative invitations. Making playdough with your child is a routine that can become one of their earliest, joyful childhood memories. Check out our homemade playdough recipes and download our free printable with five easy playdough invitations.

No Instructions

Creative invitations are the opposite of crafts. Crafts come with instructions and a specific end product. There is a time when crafts become more valuable, when children are older and ready to learn new skills and follow directions. However, crafts in early childhood lead to frustration and can discourage children from making art.

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With creative invitations, children self-determine the direction of their inquiry and exploration. Adults are there to set up the materials but should step away from directing the activity, just as we wouldn’t direct children on how to use their toys in play. When children are given freedom and choice, they experience the thrill of taking risks and breaking through their own limits. This will build their confidence and allow them to create with joy and a love for making art.

Sometimes a new material might need a simple introduction, and that is ok. You might also have to create a boundary every so often, but this can be done in one or two short sentences.

For example, you might say... 

“These are paint sticks. You can take off the tops and twist them up and you can use them on any of these surfaces.”

“Remember, playdough stays on the table.”

“Splattering paint is for outside and today we are inside, but you can mix new colors!”

But for the most part, keep it simple and let your child discover and explore materials on their own without direction or many rules.

Captivating Presentation

When setting up your creative invitation, it’s important to keep it simple while also making it alluring and accessible enough to spark interest without causing frustration.

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If you are setting out some colored tapes, maybe you want to pre-cut some pieces and stick them around a plate for ease of use and an enticing display. Or maybe, instead of setting out all the paint colors, choose a color family and create a “cool” or “warm” mood.

Collect trays and small bowls, maybe even some small baskets, to display natural materials and store them in one place so it’s easy to grab and set up an invitation. Maybe one day you just have time to put out markers and paper. If you display those markers in a way that is different from how your child is used to seeing them (on an interesting tray or with white paper on a clipboard), the invitation will draw your child over and encourage them to make something new.

Free Choice

Just as with free play, your child has the right to determine how and how long they will use the materials. 

It’s important to always respect a child’s wishes and trust them to make choices that suit their needs. Some days your child might be completely engaged with your magnificent invitation and spend enough time at the art table that you can get some things done (or take a quiet moment to have some tea and relax). On other days, your child might not be interested, or maybe they want to make something with you.

The offerings are meant to spark ideas and creative thinking, but if our children just aren’t into it for whatever reason, we shouldn’t take it personally

To parent (or teach) with the understanding that children are small humans with their own minds and souls, we must take our own ideas and preconceived notions of what they should be doing out of the picture. When we consciously decide to raise children this way, we become free to truly discover our child, and our children can be who they are meant to be.

Humans, after all, want to be understood and accepted at every age, and young children are no exception. Imagine how wonderful it would feel to grow up with unconditional acceptance, knowing you are free to discover the world, and your place in it, at your own pace.


Do you need help reimagining your classroom as a hub of creativity where children share ideas and feel seen, known, and celebrated? Learn more about our Materials Matters course and Professional Learning Workshops and transform your creative practice today.

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