Shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has kids themselves, I've seen this effect over and over with mine.
Interestingly, to some extent I also see the same effect with grown-ups. When I was building machine tools and inspection equipment I was sometimes required to write comprehensive documentation and give training, other times the tool was thrown over the wall and the technicians and operators made it work as best they could. I've had cases where I've come back and found that the processes they developed on their own were more creative and better than what I would have asked them to do, also they often found new uses and approaches I hadn't thought of.
Interestingly, to some extent I also see the same effect with grown-ups. When I was building machine tools and inspection equipment I was sometimes required to write comprehensive documentation and give training, other times the tool was thrown over the wall and the technicians and operators made it work as best they could. I've had cases where I've come back and found that the processes they developed on their own were more creative and better than what I would have asked them to do, also they often found new uses and approaches I hadn't thought of.