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Summer is the perfect time for a child’s imagination to roam free and uninhibited, and kids crafts can help them express themselves. Ever since I witnessed a fellow teacher scolding a child for coloring outside the lines of a coloring page, I have been fiercely opposed to any limitations adults impose upon children’s creative expression. I’ve always felt that creativity with boundaries is hardly creativity at all because it does not allow for innovation and original creation.

I have always disliked the words “just” and “only” because they create boundaries where none should be. When someone says that a child’s creation is “only” a drawing or “just” a piece of paper, it removes the power of the work. In truth, that drawing may be a window into another world or the beginnings of some original invention that could solve a global issue.

I love the uncanny ability kids have that allows “just a box” or “only a sheet” to become a spaceship or a zoo full of dragons, and I believe that this creative exploration is the most crucial thing an adult can provide for a child.

I want to point out a few bloggers whose work on AllFreeKidsCrafts transcends the ordinary and the expected and opens up the potential for true innovation. All of these projects and activities remove creative limitations from children, including those nasty four-letter words “just” and “only” from the world.

Doodle Shoes are a great way to incorporate a kid’s artwork into his or her wardrobe. Kids can make their own style by drawing and coloring patterns on a pair of white sneakers instead of the usual coloring book in this project by Kellie from Eclectic Chica.

Kate from Mini-Eco transformed colored pencils into beads, which kids can use to create jewelry, patterns, and other interesting works of art. See her Colored Pencil Beaded Jewelry on AllFreeKidsCrafts, and click through for the tutorial.

Maureen and Shanti from Twig and Toadstool make the most of the supplies in their back yards. I love their little fairy habitats, and these Enchanted Acorn Toadstools demonstrate the way they teach kids to see the magic in everyday items.

I love reading Se7en because each of the kids in this incredibly creative family contributes to the craft project on the site. I’m especially a fan of this stackable, painted Log Totem Pole because each kid decorated a log, which they can then rearrange and put together in different shapes heights.

A box, as we all know, is never just a box, even once it has been painted like a firetruck… or a train, or a spaceship, or a cave. Providing kids with paint and a box like Brooke from Let Kids Create did is a great way to unleash an active imagination.

Amy from Mamascout is excellent at providing her kids with open-ended creative lessons that allow their imaginations to run wild. This stunning Painted Cape Canvas is a beautiful creation her daughter made when Amy offered her a blank cape to use as a canvas.

Teacher Tom‘s Marble Run Painting Project allowed preschoolers to pour paint over a marble run and watch the colors blend as an amazing active installation piece.

All of the bloggers whose work is featured on AllFreeKidsCrafts are phenomenal at inventing amazing ways for kids to color outside the lines and create something completely original. Explore more of the projects on the site for some great ideas that will promote inquisitive and innovative though for some incredibly creative creations.

Tell me about a time when a kid’s creativity surprised you!