You Were a Creative Genius at 5

Here’s how to find that kid again

In 1968, NASA tested 1,600 kids for creative thinking.
At age 5, 98% of them scored at creative genius levels.
By age 10, it dropped to 30%.
By 15? Just 12%.
And by adulthood? Just 2%!

We’re all born creative. We just forget how to access it.

Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash

The Power of Play

Over the weekend, some good friends came over, and I was playing with their 5-year-old. We made up a basketball game where I was the hoop, and my face became the backboard. Every time the ball bounced off my head, she laughed hysterically.
(Side note: I’m not sure what this says about human nature, but it’s interesting that the surest way to get a kid to laugh is to let them assault you.)

I used to play those kinds of games with my kids all the time. Now they’re both teenagers and very much not in the mood. Although, to be fair, both would probably enjoy hitting me in the face with a basketball — just for different reasons.

I was thinking back to when I was five… play was my full-time job.
Me and the kid down the street ran a two-person spy agency. Our mission? Keep tabs on the highly suspicious suburban crime ring known as our neighbors. We’d hide in bushes, sneak through backyards, and climb trees to conduct “surveillance.”

One day, I was crouched in a tree when the lady next door caught me and screamed, “I see you, Gil Rief!” I nearly fell out of the tree and bolted like I was fleeing a CIA sting.

We also used to draw these ridiculous, borderline-obscene cartoons — boobs, butts, talking poop — and stuffed them in our neighbor’s mailbox. Then we’d hide and watch their reaction when they got their mail.
Were these crimes? Technically.
If I did that now, would I be arrested? Absolutely.
But that’s not the point.

The Science-y Part

Play helps us explore, adapt, and try out new behaviors in low-stakes settings — which is exactly what creativity requires.

Brain scans reveal that play lights up the prefrontal cortex, the area tied to imagination, focus, and problem-solving. It boosts dopamine, which fuels curiosity and motivation. And it encourages neuroplasticity, helping the brain build new connections and ideas.

Fun Fact: Animals that play the most (like primates and dolphins) have the largest brains relative to body size.

We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

George Bernard Shaw

We live in a world obsessed with productivity and getting it “right.”
But your next big idea? It won’t come from trying harder.
It’ll come from playing looser.

Creativity lives where play begins.

HomePlay: Recess for Grown-Ups

This week, give yourself permission to play.
Channel your inner 5-year-old — back when you were a certified creative genius.

How you play is up to you. Make something up. Or try one of these…

• Build a fort out of blankets and watch a show in there.

• Hold out your hand. Tell someone to slap it. Try to catch them mid-slap.

• Write a jingle for an adult diaper commercial. Perform it like you’re on Broadway.

• Narrate your pet’s thoughts in a dramatic voice.

• Leave something ridiculous in a friend’s mailbox.
  (Just don’t do anything that would qualify as a federal crime.)

The goal isn’t to impress anyone.
The goal is to remember what imagination feels like — before you started editing yourself.

And if you need a reminder?
Ask a five-year-old.
They’ve got ideas — and no hesitation smacking you in the face with a basketball.

Cheers to your creativity,
Gil

P.S. Wanna connect about a TV project? Looking for creative consulting?
Hit me up at gil@gilrief.com or visit my site.