Suggestions to Extend Creative Thinking Skills
A definition of creativity is “What do I do when I confront a problem for which I have no learned solution?” Creativity is not only the arts. Successful people in all disciplines use creative thinking skills. Some things you could do to support children’s growth in creative thinking skills include:
• Analyze paintings, sculpture, music as they pertain to content
• Create riddles, jokes, or cartoons based upon content
• Create analogies based upon content: “How is a ___like a ___?”
• Use guided imagery/visualization • Practice fluency: How many ideas can you make?
• Practice elaboration: How many details can you add?
• Ask “What might happen if…?”
• Ask “What don’t we know about…(content)?”, Generate lists of questions
• Ask “How can you improve…?” • Ask “What are the ethical or global implications of…?”
• Ask “How does (a concept) look, sound, taste, smell, feel?”
• Ask “What possible explanations are there for…?”
• Ask “What possible consequences are there for…?”
• Write dialogue between historical characters, scientific processes, etc.
• Combine characters from different stories to make a new story
• Construct, draw, or create visual representations of content
• Participate in such programs as: Odyssey of the Mind or Future Problem-Solving,
• Field trips to such places as art museums
• Read books that use content creatively, such as The Phantom Tollbooth by Juster and Lost in Lexicon by Noyce • Use fantasy to discuss content
• Analyze content from more than one point of view/perspective
• Practice activities in How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Gelb
• Analyze paintings, sculpture, music as they pertain to content
• Create riddles, jokes, or cartoons based upon content
• Create analogies based upon content: “How is a ___like a ___?”
• Use guided imagery/visualization • Practice fluency: How many ideas can you make?
• Practice elaboration: How many details can you add?
• Ask “What might happen if…?”
• Ask “What don’t we know about…(content)?”, Generate lists of questions
• Ask “How can you improve…?” • Ask “What are the ethical or global implications of…?”
• Ask “How does (a concept) look, sound, taste, smell, feel?”
• Ask “What possible explanations are there for…?”
• Ask “What possible consequences are there for…?”
• Write dialogue between historical characters, scientific processes, etc.
• Combine characters from different stories to make a new story
• Construct, draw, or create visual representations of content
• Participate in such programs as: Odyssey of the Mind or Future Problem-Solving,
• Field trips to such places as art museums
• Read books that use content creatively, such as The Phantom Tollbooth by Juster and Lost in Lexicon by Noyce • Use fantasy to discuss content
• Analyze content from more than one point of view/perspective
• Practice activities in How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Gelb