Foster the Gift of Creativity (children's Bible review and giveaway)

When our kids were young, my favorite gifts for them did not include ones that made noise or did things for them, but instead were ones requiring thought, problem-solving, and creativity. Gifts that encouraged them to use their imagination.

Reflecting God’s Creativity

Our God is a creative God. And created by the Father in His image, our children (and us) inherited His creativity. I wanted them to learn how to express that trait.

I’m not the most creative person. In fact, I’m very much a “paint-by-the-number” kind of gal. But there’s something freeing about doing things any way instead of trying to find the right way.

Being creative, within the parameters of God’s truths, expresses an element of our divinely created nature we often suppress. We tend to value obedience and following directions as more important. And these traits are important.

But we have a God who painted the sky with an endless combination of colors, depending on the time of day, atmospheric conditions, and season of year.

We serve a God who made critters of every size and shape, with unlimited facial and body features.

We were created by a God who made each human being one of a kind, with unique DNA and fingerprints.

It’s important to celebrate the creative nature of our God by encouraging it in our children and in us.

We tend to value obedience and following directions as more important than creativity. And these traits are important. But it's important to celebrate the creative nature of our God by encouraging it in our children (and in us adults). Click To Tweet

Fostering Creativity

Building blocks were perfect toys to foster imaginative and creative play. We found some fun and unusual ones, but LEGO® bricks became a perennial favorite, requested year after year.

The kids would ask for themed sets. Yet after putting them up the way they should be a time or two, they’d add them to our large tub and build new towns and sets. I loved joining in. We’d spend hours making crazy vehicles, towering castles, and sprawling towns, only to wreck them in battles between the good guys and bad.

It looked to be innocent play, but all play is educational. This play centered on growing and expressing the gift of creativity we’d been blessed with.

My boys haven’t played with LEGO bricks in years (although Rach loves to sort through them). Still I was thrilled and curious when I heard Zonderkidz published a children’s Brick Builders Illustrated Bible.

Brick Builders Illustrated Bible

I received a copy of Brick Builders Illustrated Bible to review through the Blythe Daniel Agency’s BlogAbout Blogger Network . This fun, eye-catching Bible storybook did not disappoint. It quickly captured my attention with its bold, colorful illustrations.

From Genesis to Revelation, children will engage with more than 35 beloved Bible stories. Building bricks creatively frame the text on each page. My favorite feature of this Bible is the “Building Block” takeaway at the end of each story. Not only will children hear these Bible stories, through the Building Block, they’ll be encouraged to apply the lessons to their lives.

Although I wish more stories were included, Brick Builders Illustrated Bible is an awesome Bible for young people, especially for those children who love LEGOs. It’s creative, fun, and practical: a great early Bible.

Bravo Zonderkidz for exercising your creativity and for helping our young people learn about their Father and grow in their ability to reflect His creative nature.

Express Your Creativity

I’ve mentioned previously that I don’t think of myself as being creative. But we don’t have to be an artist, designer, or fiction writer to be creative. There is a little of God’s creativity in each one of us. Each of us needs to learn to express it in our own ways.

Once in a while paint how you want to instead of by the numbers.

Every now and then, brainstorm a new way to make a favorite recipe.

From time to time, spin a story that is fun and imaginative.

Occasionally, tap into the imaginative nature God created in you, and let it reflect another aspect of the Creator to the world.

God is a creative god. And there is a little of God's creativity in each one of us. Let's occasionally, tap into the imaginative nature God created in us, and let it reflect another aspect of the Creator to the world. Click To Tweet

“How countless are your works,Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵Here is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.” Psalm 104:24-25

“So God created man
in his own image;
he created him in the image of God;
he created them male and female.” Genesis 1:27