--- title: The Reason Your Child Might Be Less Creative description: Our schools and workplaces claim to love creativity — but the research shows they don’t reward it. In fact, they punish it. “…students with the... canonical: https://time.com/3559171/reason-child-less-creative/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-06T05:01:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:00:27.655Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Reason Your Child Might Be Less Creative og:description: Our schools and workplaces claim to love creativity — but the research shows they don’t reward it. In fact, they punish it. “…students with the... og:url: https://time.com/3559171/reason-child-less-creative/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e0009ca6c041f52/6987644e524fc0f8bbdea3b1/creative-child.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5200 og:image:height: 2925 og:image:alt: child og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Reason Your Child Might Be Less Creative twitter:description: Our schools and workplaces claim to love creativity — but the research shows they don’t reward it. In fact, they punish it. “…students with the... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e0009ca6c041f52/6987644e524fc0f8bbdea3b1/creative-child.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Reason Your Child Might Be Less Creative > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=62ba7c38-61ae-4803-acc9-9886210b8916&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 6, 2014 5:01 AM UTC  Boy with box covering head and homemade toy robot Boy with box covering head and homemade toy robot Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Nov 6, 2014 5:01 AM UTC Our schools and workplaces claim to love creativity — but the research shows they don’t reward it. In fact, they punish it. _“…_ **_students with the highest GPA’s were the ones who scored lowest on measures of creativity and independence…”_** _“…_ **_supervisors judged their workforce the way teachers judged their students. They gave low ratings to employees with high levels of creativity and independence…”_** Via [How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547564651/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0547564651&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Teachers often say they love creative students. [They don’t](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/12/do-teachers-love-or-hate-creative-students/): --- > “” --- Are you a creative person? Want to be a CEO? Good luck. [You’ll need it](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/02/does-being-creative-harm-your-chances-of-beco/): --- > “” --- (To learn the secrets to increasing your child’s creativity, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/what-are-the-four-principles-that-will-lead-y/).) **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/10/schools-workplaces-kill-creativity/)**_._** **Join over 130,000 readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). What To Read Next: [How To Raise Happy Kids – 10 Steps Backed By Science](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/02/happy-kids/) [Good Parenting Skills: 7 Research-Backed Ways to Raise Kids Right](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/11/good-parenting-skills/) [How To Have A Happy Family – 7 Tips Backed By Research](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/10/how-to-have-a-happy-family/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3559171/reason-child-less-creative/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3559171/reason-child-less-creative/"},"headline":"The Reason Your Child Might Be Less Creative","datePublished":"2014-11-06T05:01:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:00:27.655Z","description":"Our schools and workplaces claim to love creativity — but the research shows they don’t reward it. 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