Children are often far more gifted than their parents or teachers realize--and in different ways. IQ tests do not measure creative talent. Most children start life with valuable creative potential. Unfortunately, many of them have it knocked out of them, so to speak, by the time they reach the 4th grade. It is not that parents and teachers deliberately squelch creativity; rather, they fail to recognize it, sometimes mistaking it for unruliness, eccentricity, and even stupidity. Creativity involves getting away from the obvious, safe, and expected, and producing something that is new to the child. This article presents several ideas for detecting creativity in children. This article also provides ideas on how parents can encourage creativity in children.