In our innovation sessions, we often use a warm-up question that’s a fill-in-the-blank: "People would be more creative if…" While there are always lots of varied and creative answers, one answer that always comes up is, “…if they would act like a kid.”We all seem to have an instinctive sense that kids are more creative than adults. We don’t question it; we all intuitively just know it’s true and we view it as a natural state for children. And it is. According to Dr. Stephanie Carlson, an expert on childhood brain development at the University of Minnesota, kids spend as much as 2/3 of their time in non-reality—in imaginative play. Other experts have also noted children’s aptitude for creativity. Albert Einstein famously said, “To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play.” And even Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

via How Thinking Like a Child Can Impact Innovation.