In the Age of AI, Parents Say Creativity Is More Important Than Ever — And Kids Agree (Sort Of)
New research from Crayola explores how families are thinking about creativity, artificial intelligence, and what skills will actually matter for the next generation.
If you’ve watched your kid ask an AI chatbot to write a story or generate a drawing and felt a small, uncomfortable flutter in your stomach — you’re not alone. A new national study confirms that parents are thinking hard about what creativity means for their children in a world where machines can produce ideas in seconds.
The survey, commissioned by Crayola and conducted by Talker Research, polled 2,000 parents of children ages 8 to 12, along with kids in that same age range. What it found is reassuring in some ways, complicated in others, and full of practical wisdom — much of it coming directly from the kids themselves.
Parents Are Worried. Kids Are Mostly Excited.
The biggest takeaway from this research is the gap between how parents and children view AI — and it’s wider than you might expect.
Thirty-five percent of parents worry that AI will reduce their child’s ability to think creatively. Thirty percent fear it will compete with their kids in the workforce, limiting their future opportunities. Those are real, reasonable concerns from people who are trying to prepare their children for a world that’s changing faster than any of us can fully track.
The kids, though? They’re largely not worried. Only 22% of children share their parents’ concerns about AI hurting their creative thinking, and just 21% fear job competition with AI down the road.
This isn’t necessarily kids being naive. It might be kids being kids — focused on what technology can open up rather than what it might take away. Either way, it’s a fascinating window into the generational divide that’s playing out in living rooms and classrooms across the country right now.
Why Creativity Feels More Urgent Than Ever
Here’s where parents are landing, and it makes a lot of sense: creativity is one of the few things machines genuinely can’t replicate. And 73% of parents believe it will be more essential for their children than it was for previous generations — precisely because of AI.
Eighty-five percent of parents surveyed agreed with the statement “creativity equals success for my child in the future.” And the belief goes beyond career preparation. More than half (52%) said creativity influences all aspects of life. Creative people were seen as stronger problem-solvers (49%), better communicators (35%), and more likely to succeed professionally (34%).
Perhaps the most quietly poignant finding: eight in ten parents admitted they wish the adults in their own lives had done more to nurture their creativity when they were children. There’s something both sad and motivating about that number — a generation of parents determined to do for their kids what wasn’t done for them.
Kids Still Want to Make Things With Their Hands
Despite growing up fully immersed in screens and technology, the children surveyed showed a strong pull toward hands-on creative experiences. When kids make something by hand rather than digitally, they’re more likely to want to keep it (46%), display it at home (68%), or give it as a gift (48%). There’s something about a physical creation — a drawing, a collage, a clay sculpture — that feels real and lasting in a way a digital file doesn’t.
What motivates kids to create in the first place? The answers are worth writing down somewhere visible.
Doing it with parents and family came in first at 65%. Having their art displayed came in at 45%. And feeling like the effort they put in is recognized landed at 46%.
Notice what’s not on that list: being told their art looks good. In fact, that ranked as the least motivating thing a parent can do (22%). Even positive judgment, it turns out, still feels like judgment to a kid. What children actually want is to have their effort, ideas, and decision-making praised — not the final product.
“When we emphasize effort, process and thinking over outcomes, kids feel safer taking creative risks,” said Cheri Sterman, senior director of education at Crayola. “Research — and kids themselves — are pointing us toward a more supportive way to nurture creativity in the age of AI.”
What Kids Are Actually Asking For
When children in the survey were asked directly how parents and teachers could better support their creativity, they were remarkably clear. They want adults to ask for their ideas and actually listen to them (52%). They want supplies to create with (51%). They want encouragement to solve problems (47%). And they want more time to just make things (46%).
That’s not a complicated list. It’s also a convicting one, because most of us can probably identify at least one item on it that we’ve been falling short on lately.
Kids also said they’re inspired by creative role models across all fields — authors, athletes, astronauts, entrepreneurs — people who demonstrate that imagination isn’t just for art class. It’s a life skill.
The things kids say get in the way of their creativity are equally worth noting: societal pressure to fit in (37%), an emphasis on perfection over exploration (20%), and a focus on doing things “the right way” rather than imaginatively (36%). A lot of that pressure, it’s worth acknowledging, comes from adults.
Making Creativity Part of the Everyday
The most actionable part of this research is the reminder that nurturing creativity doesn’t require a dedicated art corner or a special activity. It happens in small, ordinary moments — and the families doing it well seem to know that.
One parent in the survey put it perfectly: “We try to build creativity into ordinary moments — making up stories at bedtime, cooking together and experimenting, or turning errands into small games. Keeping it low-pressure helps creativity feel natural.”
Other examples from parents: making up a new ending to a story, planning meal theme nights together, playing “what if” games. None of these cost anything. None of them require a special trip to the craft store. They just require showing up and being willing to be a little silly.
“Adults can nurture creativity by weaving simple, creative moments into daily routines,” Sterman said. “Kid-tested creative experiences such as sketching during an outdoor walk, drawing a new cover to a book, and making up new lyrics to a song can boost imagination and creative confidence.”
The Bottom Line for Central Mass Families
AI isn’t going away, and our kids are going to grow up alongside it in ways we can’t fully anticipate. But this research makes a compelling case that the response isn’t to limit technology — it’s to be intentional about making sure imagination, experimentation, and original thinking stay central to how our kids develop.
The good news is that kids are already telling us what they need. They want to make things. They want us to do it with them. They want us to care more about the effort than the outcome.
That’s something every one of us can do — starting tonight, if we want to.
Survey methodology: Talker Research surveyed parents of children ages 8–12 and their kids on behalf of Crayola, conducted online December 19–23, 2025.
