I’m a huge fan of creative play, inside and outside the house. When you head to Disneyland – all the creating has been done for you. You walk around seeing what other people imagined. But when you give kids the time, place and encouragement for unstructured play, their brains have to do the work. They climb trees, build forts, imagine new worlds, and spend hours and hours discovering new parts of themselves.

Here are some awesome parks designed for exactly this kind of creative play. If you see one close by, pack up the kids and head over. Take some neighbor kids and make it an adventure they can enjoy together.

I’m so thankful our kids grew up in a neighborhood that knew how to play. It was a neighborhood of historic homes, with detached garages and front porches. There were lots of mature trees and interesting places to play outside which is much of what made it so inviting. Our home was a 1927 beauty with sidewalk that wrapped around the whole house, an old shed in the back continually being reinvented and a massive cottonwood tree with a long rope hanging, inviting kids to swing and imagine.

Not everyone’s yard has Terabithia possibilities, but there are lots of other great ways to encourage creativity at home. Try a few of these with your family today.