How to Be as Creative as a 3-Year-Old

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Issue 46 | September 16, 2021 | How to Be as Creative as a 3-Year-Old

Here’s when you know that some creativity is headed your way, like it or not: when you see a pair of 3-year-olds talking in hushed tones from a shared camp chair.

In a camping trip with old college friends this summer, my 3-year-old and his new best buddy managed to lock a set of keys in a rental car and burn out the battery of the family minivan by pushing every button. We also discovered them polishing off the better part of an enormous watermelon, and taking turns dangling precipitously from the baby crib of new-buddy’s-baby-sister.

Once they really got going, it was clear we couldn’t trust them for more than a minute together. Their creativity was unleashed. A torrent of mischief rained down. My normally well-behaved preschooler was transformed to a scheming troublemaker with lots and lots and LOTS of new ideas.

3 Lessons on Creativity

Reflecting on the productive interlude of this pair, three things stand out – and they are things that even us stodgy old grown-ups can do! We all know these simple rules, but a preschooler in action offers a powerful refresher course:

1. Put your heads together. Neither of these young guys is particularly mischievous on his own. But together – watch out. 1 plus 1 equals about 100, when it comes to creativity. If you don’t agree, I encourage you to offer to babysit a pair of 3-year-olds.
2. All options are on the table. 3-year-olds naturally take on the standard approach of another creative sport, improv theater – “Yes, and…” The “Yes, and” technique in improv is famously successful for generating new ideas and fueling momentum. When these two imps got together, I certainly didn’t see them turning any ideas away. Climb up into the baby crib? YES, AND watch what happens when I dangle upside down! Secret slice of watermelon? YES, AND let’s make it 10, or 50!
3. Just see what happens. The final ingredient in 3-year-old creativity is to try anything. Push the hazard lights on mom’s minivan? Let’s see how that goes. Can’t get one kid into the swinging camp chair? Try boarding it simultaneously from both sides! These guys were experimenting nonstop, as children do. Not every effort succeeded. But the sum total of their work was impressive.

Take a Playful Approach

A playful, preschooler-inspired approach is something that anyone can use. See what happens to your creative efforts at work when you put these mischief-making principles to work!

Need an outside perspective to help freshen up your efforts? Reach out and let’s talk about your project needs.

Hey, fellow cooks! I loved your recipe suggestions in response to the last newsletter about low-heat summer cooking. Whatcha cooking this fall??

The Marsh crew gives 10 thumbs up to this recipe for pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins, with a chef’s note that we cut the sugar down to 1/3 of the recipe amount and loved the result.