Are there screen activities that actually spark creativity instead of numbing it? 

Parenting Perspective 

Yes, not all screen time has to dampen creativity. While passive, fast-paced, and purely entertainment-focused content can make children more dependent on constant stimulation, certain types of screen activities can actively encourage imagination, problem-solving, and creative expression. The key is to choose platforms and tools that invite your child to create rather than simply consume. 

Prioritise Creation Over Consumption 

Look for digital tools that function like a blank canvas, allowing your child to design, build, or make something new. This includes drawing applications, music composition tools, story-writing platforms, or open-ended building games. These activities encourage experimentation and personal expression, turning the user from a passive audience into an active creator. 

Bridge Digital Skills with Physical Action 

Encourage your child to take ideas and skills learned from the screen into the physical world. If they follow a video tutorial on how to make origami, ensure they have the paper to try it themselves. If they design a building in a game, invite them to construct a model out of cardboard at home. This crucial step ensures that creativity becomes an active, physical process, not just a digital one. 

Encourage Active Skill Development 

Videos and applications that teach a tangible skill such as photography, cooking, crafting, or coding can be powerful sparks for creativity. The most important part of this process is that the learning is followed by real, hands-on practice. The goal is active participation, not just passive viewing. 

Collaborate to Enhance Engagement 

Sometimes, simply joining your child for ten minutes to collaborate on a digital drawing or help brainstorm an idea for a story can make screen-based creativity more engaging and less isolating. Your presence also helps to guide their choices towards more meaningful and purposeful activities, subtly reinforcing your family values without the need for a lecture. 

When used mindfully, screens can open doors to new skills and ideas. By steering your child toward tools that require thought, imagination, and action, you can transform screen time from a potential creativity drain into a genuine creativity boost. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam values the use of our God-given abilities in ways that benefit ourselves and others. Creativity, when used for good, can be a form of ihsan (excellence) and a means of showing gratitude for the gifts Allah Almighty has given us. Screens, like any tool, can be directed toward beneficial or wasteful ends; the responsibility lies in how we guide their use. 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Az Zumar (39), Verse 9: 

‘Say, “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding…’ 

This verse reminds us that seeking and applying knowledge is a mark of wisdom and gratitude, and technology can be a powerful tool in this pursuit when used correctly. 

It is recorded in Shu’ab al-Iman that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Allah loves that when one of you does something, he does it with excellence.’ 

This hadith teaches us that whether we are building, designing, or learning, we should strive for quality and purpose in our creations. By choosing screen activities that inspire skill and thoughtful making, you help your child use technology in a way that aligns with Islamic values turning a potential source of passivity into a channel for growth and excellence.