What if your child does not need another drawing lesson to become more creative? What if they simply need permission to make something imperfect?
A blank sheet of paper can feel surprisingly intimidating to a child.
Ask them to “draw something creative” and you may hear:
“I do not know what to draw.”
“I cannot draw.”
“Mine will look bad.”
“I am not creative.”
For children who become anxious about making mistakes, an open-ended art task can quickly turn into a performance task. They start thinking about what the finished picture should look like instead of exploring what they could create.
There is a simple expressive arts activity that deliberately changes this experience:
Ask your child to draw with their non-dominant hand.
The result will probably be messy.
That is exactly the point.
Why Would Drawing With the Non-Dominant Hand Help?
Let us begin with an important clarification.
There is a popular claim online that using your non-dominant hand automatically “activates the creative side of your brain”. That is an oversimplification and is not a claim I would recommend making to children or parents.
Research on children’s drawing shows that hand dominance affects drawing performance. In a study involving 60 right-handed children aged 4–12, researchers found that children generally produced fewer errors and shorter drawing distances with their dominant hand in the tasks studied.
Another study involving 127 right-handed children aged 5–12 examined figural fluency using both hands. Performance was influenced by age, hand and task order, with the dominant hand generally performing better.
So why use the non-dominant hand?
Because it introduces deliberate difficulty and unfamiliarity.
The child is less likely to produce the polished picture they have in their head. Lines may wobble. Shapes may look unusual. Proportions may be strange.
That can create an interesting shift:
The child has fewer reasons to worry about producing a perfect drawing.
The task becomes exploration rather than demonstration.
And that is where this expressive arts activity becomes useful.
The Activity: The Wrong-Hand Creature
You need:
- A sheet of paper
- A pencil, pen or washable marker
- About 5 minutes
- A willingness to let the drawing be messy
For younger children, you can make the activity shorter.
For older children, you can extend the story-building part.
Step 1: Give Them a Blank Page
Place a blank sheet of paper in front of your child.
Do not start by saying:
“Draw something creative.”
That instruction can feel enormous.
Instead, give them a specific playful challenge.
Say:
“Draw an animal that does not exist.”
Then add the twist.
“But you have to draw it with your non-dominant hand.”
If your child normally draws with their right hand, they use their left.
If they normally draw with their left hand, they use their right.
Step 2: Give Them 30 Seconds
Set a timer for approximately 30 seconds.
Tell them:
“Do not erase anything.”
“Do not try to make it perfect.”
“Just keep drawing.”
The short time limit matters because it discourages excessive planning and editing.
You can even join them.
Watching a parent deliberately make a strange, imperfect drawing can make the experience feel safer.
Step 3: Add the Unexpected Question
Once the animal exists, ask:
“Your animal has a superpower. What is it?”
Now invite your child to add something to the drawing that represents that superpower.
Perhaps it has enormous wings.
Perhaps it can breathe underwater.
Perhaps its ears can hear thoughts.
Perhaps it can turn invisible.
There is no correct answer.
The child is now moving from drawing into imaginative meaning-making.
Step 4: Give the Creature a Story
Ask your child to give the creature a name.
Then ask a single follow-up question:
“What does your creature love doing?”
You can stop there.
Or, if your child enjoys storytelling, let the drawing develop into a short story.
The important part is that the original messy lines have become the starting point for something new.
What Is Happening Here?
The activity contains an important expressive arts principle:
The process becomes more important than the finished picture.
When children believe that a drawing needs to look “good”, they may spend considerable effort monitoring their performance.
A deliberately unfamiliar drawing method changes the task.
The child already knows that the picture will probably look unusual.
That gives you an opportunity to introduce a different message:
“This drawing does not need to look perfect. We are experimenting.”
Research examining children’s drawing has also explored how sensory and motor conditions can influence originality in drawings, supporting the broader idea that the physical conditions of making art can influence the creative process.
There is also educational practice using non-dominant-hand drawing alongside different media and an emphasis on engagement rather than the final outcome as a way of supporting children’s confidence and independent choices in art.
So I would describe this activity as a creative constraint, rather than a scientifically proven creativity hack.
That distinction matters.
Why Imperfect Art Can Be Useful for Children
Children receive a lot of feedback about whether something is correct.
A spelling word is right or wrong.
A maths answer is right or wrong.
A test has marks.
A drawing can also become another place where a child evaluates themselves.
“Does this look like the example?”
“Can I draw properly?”
“Will someone laugh at this?”
Expressive arts can provide a different kind of experience.
The child can make marks without needing every mark to have a predetermined purpose.
The strange line can become a tail.
The accidental shape can become an eye.
The scribble can become a cloud.
The “mistake” can become part of the creature.
This can encourage children to practise responding to what emerges rather than abandoning the task because the original plan did not work.
Try This Variation: Start With a Scribble
Once your child is comfortable with the activity, remove the animal prompt.
Ask them to make a random scribble with their non-dominant hand.
Then say:
“Turn this into something.”
They might find a face inside the scribble.
They might see an animal.
They might transform it into a landscape.
They might create something completely unexpected.
There is no need to tell them what they are supposed to see.
Let them decide.
That gives the child another experience of transforming ambiguity into an idea.
What Should Parents Say During the Activity?
Your language can influence the experience.
Instead of:
“That is a beautiful drawing!”
Try:
“Tell me about this part.”
Instead of:
“That does not look like a dog.”
Try:
“I wonder what kind of creature this could become.”
Instead of:
“You are very creative.”
Try:
“I like how you changed your idea.”
These responses place attention on the child’s process and interpretation.
You are giving them space to explain their own artwork rather than deciding what it means for them.
What If My Child Says, “This Looks Terrible”?
That is actually a useful moment for the activity.
You could say:
“It does look different from the drawings you usually make. That was the experiment.”
Then ask:
“What could we add to it?”
The aim is not to convince your child that every drawing is beautiful.
The aim is to help them experience the possibility that an imperfect beginning can still become something interesting.
What Age Is This Activity Suitable For?
The basic activity can be adapted for a wide age range.
Younger children
Keep the instructions simple.
“Draw a funny animal with your other hand.”
Then let them add a colour, sound or superpower.
Primary-school children
Use the 30-second creature challenge and add the superpower and storytelling prompts.
Older children and teenagers
Make the activity more reflective.
Ask:
“What did you notice when you could not control the lines as easily?”
Then ask:
“Did the drawing become easier once you stopped trying to make it look perfect?”
This turns the activity into an opportunity to explore perfectionism, self-criticism and creative risk-taking.
You Can Watch the Activity Here
I demonstrated this expressive arts activity in a short YouTube video for EducateAble.
Watch the YouTube Short: Secret Way to Unlock Your Creativity
Watch it with your child and then try the activity together.
You do not need expensive art supplies.
A piece of paper and something to draw with are enough.
Simple Art Supplies You Can Keep at Home
If your child enjoys these activities, having a small creativity box can make spontaneous art easier.
1. Children’s Sketchbook
A plain sketchbook gives children a dedicated space where unfinished drawings, strange ideas and experiments can live.
2. Washable Children’s Markers
Markers can make quick expressive drawing activities more inviting, particularly when the focus is on making marks rather than producing technically accurate drawings.
3. Colouring Pencils
Colouring pencils work well when children want to develop an initial scribble or creature into a more detailed drawing.
4. Mixed-Media Art Paper
If your child enjoys experimenting with different materials, thicker paper can provide more flexibility for drawing, colouring and mixed-media work.
Affiliate disclosure: If you purchase through an affiliate link on this page, EducateAble may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
A Small Reminder for Parents
Do not use this activity to assess whether your child is “creative”.
There is no score.
There is no correct creature.
There is no artistic standard they need to meet.
The interesting part is watching what happens when the child is given permission to experiment.
And if your child’s drawing looks completely ridiculous?
Perfect.
That may be the most interesting part of the exercise.
Want More Expressive Arts Activities?
EducateAble shares practical expressive arts ideas for children, parents, educators and professionals working with young people.
You can explore more activities through the EducateAble YouTube channel, where I share accessible ways to use art and creativity to support children’s emotional expression and development.
Explore EducateAble on YouTube
If you are looking for individual support, I also offer 1:1 counselling and emotional wellness sessions using expressive arts approaches, adapted to the needs of children, teenagers and adults.
For educators and shadow teachers looking for practical support with inclusion, you can also explore 1:1 Shadow Teacher Toolkit & Mentoring sessions.
Final Thought
Creativity does not always begin with a brilliant idea.
It can begin with a strange line.
A messy shape.
An accidental mark.
Or a drawing made with the hand that feels completely unfamiliar.
Give your child permission to start badly.
Then ask:
“What could this become?”
That question can take a blank page somewhere very different.
EducateAble 
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