Title:

How To Develop Creative Thinking

Word Count:
875
Summary:
In my opinion, creativity is the real genius. Intelligent children learn fast, a
nd apply their knowledge in everyday life situations. But - inventing something
new, creating something original, that is real genius. I always admire originali
ty, whether it is original artwork, an original story, or an invention that can
make life easier for many people.
How can we teach our children creative thinking? How can we teach them the habit
of thinking "outside the box"?
Here are...
Keywords:
child, baby, babies, parenting, genius, gifted, intelligence, intelligent, teach
er, learning
Article Body:
In my opinion, creativity is the real genius. Intelligent children learn fast, a
nd apply their knowledge in everyday life situations. But - inventing something
new, creating something original, that is real genius. I always admire originali
ty, whether it is original artwork, an original story, or an invention that can
make life easier for many people.
How can we teach our children creative thinking? How can we teach them the habit
of thinking "outside the box"?
Here are a few easy and fun suggestions for activities that will go a long way t
oward developing this very valuable skill of creative thinking in your child. Sl
ight adjustments may be needed for your child's age and skill.
1. Play the following game: one person starts telling a story. He stops after a
few sentences, and the next player continues his story. There is no limit to th
e number of players. It is a great idea to record the story, so that it can be d
istributed to the participants later, for the enjoyment of everyone. This is a v
ery fun activity that trains your child (and you too, if you are participating)
to think creatively.
2. Prepare a series of pictures. The pictures can be taken from a book, from se
veral books, from newspapers - or even downloaded from the Internet and printed
on a home printer. Put the pictures next to each other, and let your child tell
a story, using those pictures. You can take turns, your child and you, developin
g the story based on the pictures. This game can have several variations: put th
e pictures face down on the table, then turn them over one by one, to continue t
he story. Gradually increase the speed of turning the pictures over, so that the
story teller has to come up with the story continuation faster and faster. When
you are done with a set of pictures, just change the order, and see if your chi
ld can come up with a different story, based on the new order.
3. Prepare a series of words written on cards. Play the same game - tell a stor
y using these words. You can use the same variations as above.
4. Play a piece of classical music, and let your child tell you what kind of mo

od does this music create, what kind of story does this music tell?
5. Play a piece of music, and have your child paint a picture that shows the mo
od this music creates, or tells the story this music is telling.
6. When your child comes up with a story in one of the previous activities, ask
your child to change the story in order to change the mood. For example, if the
story is sad - can he change the story to be happy? Can he change it to be a my
stery? Can he change it to be a comedy, or a funny story?
7. When reading a book with your child, always ask open ended and thought provo
king questions like: How would you handle this situation? What could the charact
er do differently? How do you think did the character feel?
8. Print several pictures on paper. (You can use cardboard if you'd like to mak
e the pieces more durable). Cut each picture into 9 parts (or more, if you want
to make this game more complex). Now let your child put the pictures back togeth
er. After putting all pieces back together into the original pictures, you can m
ix the pieces, so that your child can create new pictures, combining pieces from
different pictures. Start with two pictures mixed together,and advance to more
and more pictures. Start with bigger pieces, cutting the picture into 4 parts on
ly, and advance to smaller and smaller pieces, cutting the picture into more and
more pieces. Also, use more and more complicated pictures, that include more de
tails.
9. Play "pretend" games with your child often, or use "role playing" with your
child. When you read a story, ask your child to play the role of his favorite ch
aracter.
10. When your child has friends visiting, have them come up with a short play an
d perform it for the parents. This is always a fun activity for the children, an
d it also keeps them very busy.
11. Encourage your child to paint a picture of an object. Then have him paint it
in different colors. For example, ask your child to paint or draw a bunch of fr
uit. Then have him change the colors of all the fruit. Have a red banana, yellow
apple and so forth.
12. Choose a day a week, and have all family members do their routine activities
in a different way. For example, brush their teeth in a different way than usua
l. Take a different way to school. Sing instead of talking. Get up earlier, and
and play a new game. Walk backwards... Be creative, and encourage your child to
be creative too.
13. Don't ever discourage your child from using his imagination. If your child t
ells an imaginary story, always praise him and acknowledge the creativity. If yo
ur child comes up with an original answer to a question, even if the answer is i
ncorrect, acknowledge creative thinking.
14. Keep your eyes open for any signs of creativity and originality. Always prai
se and encourage these traits.
Have fun, and enjoy! To your child's creativity!