Top creative learning environments that inspire little learners

At CocoRio, we believe learning outside the classroom in an unstructured, creative way is the key to unlocking your child’s true potential. From your garden to the local train station, there are places all around us that can foster their love of learning and increase creativity.

Why is creative thinking important? Well, it is all about exercising your imagination, making connections and developing new skills, which can include arts and crafts, role play, storytelling and making music. It’s hugely important for emotional growth – it can help children express how they’re feeling, assist them in understanding the world around them and shape them into the future leaders of tomorrow. 

A study from Ohio State University even found that teaching children to think creatively can help them become better problem-solvers and increase confidence.

Ready to kickstart their creative learning journey? To help you on your way, we’ve rounded up the top learning environments that encourage your little learners to explore, try new things and get stuck into creativity. 

Top tip: over the summer holidays, opt for one of our CocoRio creative nannies to teach them about creativity at home or to take your little one on an adventure outside. 

1. Home

Guess what? One of the best places to get creative is at home. After all, it’s where children feel their most comfortable and confident, which means they’re more likely to try new activities. Plus, you don’t have to go out and buy creative activities because they’re right in front of you – you can make your own reading corner, put on a show together, build a den, do arts and crafts or make music with pots and pans. Our top tip for young children? Separate each creative area, so your little one knows which skills they’ll be exercising where and they can focus on the task in hand. 

 2. Outdoor spaces 

Outdoor spaces  are made for childhood memories. Whether it’s your garden, the local park or your balcony, the great outdoors is the perfect environment to get creative and learn. Why? The fresh air, surrounding nature and vibrant colours inspire children to explore, have fun and try new activities. Ready to unlock their creativity? Have a teddy bear’s picnic, blow and pop bubbles, make petal perfume, plant some vegetable seeds, roll around in the grass and play hide and seek – the possibilities are endless!

3. Library

From children’s story shelves to secret book corners, there’s something wholesome about picking a book from the library together and sitting down to read it. Once you’re reading together, encourage them to think outside the box and beyond the storylines, for example asking them about the different character’s emotions, the different senses conveyed in the book and how they might be similar or different to a certain character. This gives your child a feeling of being in control – and they’ll love the 1:1 time with their adult or a CocoRio creative nanny. 

4. Train station

Choo choo! Whether your child is train obsessed or wants to go on a fun adventure, it’s time to visit your local train station. It’s the perfect place to see trains in motion and learn about the different people who work at the station. Fancy hopping on? Even just getting on the train for a few stops is an activity in itself – they’ll love looking outside and feeling like they’re on an adventure. Need some ideas to keep them occupied on the journey? We love I Spy, spotting which animals the train passes and keeping track of the station stops on the map.