by Silver Springs clubhouse director Michaela Lyman
In a world that often pushes kids to think inside the box – focusing on right answers, tight schedules, and standardized outcomes – the Club offers something radically different. Here, creativity is freedom. It’s a way of thinking, exploring and expressing identity. These things matter because when kids are given a space to create, they’re also learning to problem solve, to lead, to communicate, and most importantly, to believe in themselves.
Helping kids and teens grow their creativity isn’t about handing them a paintbrush and hoping for the best. It’s about setting the stage for discovery. For us at the Club, that might look like giving our members access to open-ended projects, where there’s no single correct result; just possibilities.
In our art area, that could be inviting them to make something from recycled materials or designing their own superhero. During a STEM lesson, it could be encouraging them to dream up a new invention, sketching up blueprints, and making a model of it out of clay. Creativity can take the form of leadership as well. Teens leading younger members in a group game or planning out a Club-wide art show. All of this is creativity meeting confidence. When young people are encouraged to take ownership of their ideas and bring them to life, they begin to understand the power they have to shape the world. These moments plant the seeds of innovation.
But it’s not only about providing the materials. It’s also about encouraging curiosity. Asking questions like “What do you think would happen if…” or “How would you solve that?” tells a young person that their ideas and thought matter. This is where the adults at the Club play a powerful role. When we take the time to listen, to wonder alongside the kids, and to value original thoughts over “getting it right,” that is when we can help creativity flourish. Sometime creativity looks like chaos: a messy table covered in glitter and glue, a group of teens rewriting song lyrics in a noisy room, or a spontaneous dance battle breaking out in the gym. That’s not a distraction from learning – it is learning. It’s exploration. When we as Club staff lean into those moments instead of shutting them down. We’re showing our members that creative energy is something to be harnessed, not silenced.
One of the most powerful ways to encourage creativity is by creating a culture where trying – and even failing – is seen as something to celebrate. When a member spends days working on a comic book idea and then decides to start over, they’re not giving up. They are learning to revise, to think critically, and to trust their instincts. That’s a skill that will serve them for life, whether they grow up to be artists or engineers. Parents and caregivers can continue that support at home by making space for open-ended play, encouraging storytelling at dinner or simply by asking, “What did you imagine today?” Creativity isn’t about fancy supplies or expensive lessons. It’s about time, space, encouragement and the freedom to think differently.
In the end, nurturing creativity is about more than just helping kids draw better pictures or write better stories. It’s about helping them discover their voice. It’s about building resilience, joy, and a belief that their ideas can make a difference. The Club is more than a safe haven after school – it’s a launchpad for creative minds, curious hearts and bold futures. When kids are free to imagine, they’re free to become.