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April 7, 2025 Marie Thornby

"Knowledge is Limited." Why Creativity is Important in Primary Education

Children are naturally creative. Give them a cardboard box and five minutes and suddenly you’ve got a rocket ship, a robot or a rabbit hotel. Creativity is a fundamental part of being human. Every culture throughout history has made and valued art. Through creativity, we express ourselves, tell stories, make sense of the world and connect with each other.

So how can we engage children in creative thought and expression and what do children gain from being creative when we make space for it?

What is creativity in the classroom?

Creative thought and expression can happen all across the curriculum. Great examples include exploring emotions through role-play, creating new or innnovative products, composing soundscapes and designing science investigations. Creativity is about expressing what matters to us, generating new ideas and making connections.

KS1 classroom making innovative products

Finding different solutions in a classroom

Why is creativity important in primary schools?

As Einstein famously said, “I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Knowledge gives us the building blocks, but it’s imagination that allows us to put them together in new ways. We can acquire facts and skills, but it’s imagination that drives change, fuels innovation and helps children shape their own ideas about the world.

1. It helps children express identity and ideas

Creativity gives children a different kind of voice - one that speaks through images, sounds and movement when words fall short. This enables children to explore who they are and express what matters to them in personal and powerful ways.

Research from Arts Council England shows that taking part in creative activities boosts children’s motivation, confidence and wellbeing, all of which are critical for the development of the whole child.

2. It is an outlet for joy and emotional regulation

Being creative through art, play or open-ended teaching and learning opportunities is often deeply therapeutic for children. It can be both soothing and energising. Children often find peace in sketching quietly or joy in dancing freely. A 2020 review led by Professor Daisy Fancourt at UCL Centre for Educational Neuroscience found that creative activities help us regulate our emotions, reduce anxiety and support learning - vital ingredients for every child’s development but especially important for children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) or trauma (Read our blog about trauma-informed teaching practice here).

3. It strengthens imagination and memory

Imagination sits at the heart of creativity. It’s the brain’s way of connecting and building new ideas. So, when children imagine things they can’t see, they’re training their brains to think creatively, visualise possibilities and make connections.

Imagination doesn’t just support art; it enhances writing, mathematics, science and more. Just look at Leonardo da Vinci – he imagined flying machines centuries before planes became a reality.

Leonarda Da Vinci sketches for a flying machine

Leonardo Da Vinci sketches for a flying machine

Research from Professor Joel Pearson at UNSW Sydney shows that visualisation strengthens memory and understanding across all subjects of the curriculum - not just art. When children learn to picture ideas in their minds, it supports comprehension in subjects like Maths, Science and literacy, and helps them recall information more effectively.

Understanding creativity means recognising it as a core part of how we think, learn and grow. By valuing creative processes like visualisation, we can plan experiences that tap into how the brain really works – making learning more meaningful and memorable.

4. It builds children’s resilience and confidence

Creativity helps children take risks and not worry if things go wrong. If their painting doesn’t turn out how they hoped, that’s OK – they learn, adapt and try again. That builds resilience; a skill children need throughout their lives.

Creative work also brings children pride and joy. We can all think of a moment when a child has created something new and proudly holds up a drawing, a Lego model, or a story they've written and says, “Look what I made!” . That eagerness to share and celebrate their achievement is innate. The act of creation gives children choice and ownership, as well as a sense of capability and identity. It's powerful.

A child shows joy playing with a creative toy he has made.

Creativity can generate joy!

How to encourage creativity in primary classrooms

Neuroscience tells us that the brain uses three key networks to generate creative ideas — and they work a bit like a team, constantly switching between each other depending on what we’re doing. Understanding how these networks work together can really change the way we think about learning — and especially creativity — in the classroom.

The Default Mode Network: Daydreaming

A child in default mode

 

This is the network that kicks in when our minds wander. It is active when we are daydreaming, remembering the past, imagining the future or reflecting on how we or others feel. 

Far from being a distraction, daydreaming is essential for building empathy, thinking flexibly and making creative connections. It is the origin of “what if?” thinking — something that all great stories, inventions and problem-solving begin with.

The Salience Network: Switching

A child in salience mode

This network monitors our environment and helps us switch between daydreaming and focusing modes. If someone says your name while you are lost in thought, the salience network tells your brain to pay attention. 

The salience network helps us know when to stay in our own minds and when to re-engage with the outside world. This is a crucial skill for learning, self-regulation and for keeping ourselves safe.

The Central Executive Network: Focusing

A child in focused mode

This network helps us focus and stay on task. This is also the part of the brain that processes and makes sense of new information. We use it for planning, analysing, problem-solving and decision making.

Constantly staying in “focus mode” is mentally draining. So, as soon as we complete a focused task, our brains automatically shift back to the daydreaming network within a fraction of a second.

 

How can understanding these brain networks support classroom practice?

Children need time to daydream
Daydreaming isn’t laziness — it’s essential to creative thinking. Providing time for reflection, sketchbook work, free writing or simply quiet moments allows the default mode network to do its job. This is where creative connections start to form. Ideas percolate when we aren’t being asked to focus constantly. Instead of fighting children's natural need to daydream, we can build in space for it.

Switching takes practice
Children aren’t always great at switching between focus and free-flow. That’s okay. It’s a developmental skill. We can support it with routines, sensory regulation tools and opportunities to transition gently between tasks.

Creativity needs balance
Too much focus without time to reflect leads to mental fatigue. Too much open-ended time without structure can leave children feeling directionless. The magic happens when we balance both. For example, we might start with a structured learning task, then allow time to explore it creatively through role-play, drawing or discussion.

Help children notice their thinking
When we talk explicitly about how we come up with ideas — “I noticed my brain wandered and I thought of this idea…” — we’re modelling metacognition. That helps children understand their own learning processes and develop creative confidence.

 

FREE Creative Brain CPD Resources

How does PlanBee encourage creativity?

In short, creativity isn’t just about being imaginative; it’s about how our brains learn.

At PlanBee, we design resources that include creative and exploratory experiences, which encourage self-expression, creative thinking and innovation. That includes embodied learning – using movement, senses and visual aids to strengthen understanding and memory.

Our creative schemes of work span Art, DT, STEM, English, History and Geography, ensuring children make connections and explore in meaningful ways. Our Art curriculum doesn’t just teach children how to paint or draw. It explores what inspires artists, how they respond to the world and how children can create and reflect on their own artwork.

What does the research say?

UK Curriculum and Assessment Review (2023)

The interim report highlights the importance of a broad and balanced curriculum, noting that understanding human culture through subjects like art remains essential – especially in a rapidly changing world.

It also recognises concerns from primary educators that the current curriculum doesn’t always allow enough depth or creativity, which can make it harder for children to gain foundational skills across subjects.

OFSTED: Art and Design Subject Report (2023)

Ofsted’s recent report explains that great art teaching must include both:

  • Convergent thinking (learning specific techniques)

  • Divergent thinking (exploring and inventing)

It champions practical making, experimentation and critical thinking – not just copying techniques.

National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) 

NSEAD argues that art is crucial to children’s personal development and cultural understanding. They also call for better teacher training and more support for primary art.

Runnymede Trust

Their report, Visualise, calls for a more inclusive curriculum that celebrates the diverse cultural heritages of children. Art and creativity offer powerful ways to reflect and include all voices in the classroom.

Get Creative

Creativity helps children become problem-solvers, dreamers and doers. It brings joy, builds confidence and prepares children for their future.

 

Next article Top 10 Marking Hacks for Teachers

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