| If left to themselves, children are creative--often | | | | game. Kids love it. Each one gets one or two |
| more creative than we are. However, it seems | | | | minutes and when the buzzer goes off, even if |
| we've created an environment for children that | | | | it's in the middle of a sentence, it's the next |
| doesn't allow for much creativity. | | | | player's turn. |
| Lots has been written about the causes: | | | | 5. Make things out of wood. Children love to make |
| Television, computer games, mind-numbing toys, | | | | things out of wood. Help them make a bird house. |
| highly structured free time, the emphasis on skills | | | | They're easy to make. Birds will love to live in |
| and knowledge for school testing, and teaching for | | | | them even if the house is lopsided. Use plans |
| mandated "No Child Left Behind" tests. | | | | from books or from on-line searches. Better yet, |
| It goes without saying that children need | | | | just wing it. Make a little box with a roof, a hole, |
| knowledge and skills, but they also need to learn | | | | and a stick for a perch. Hang it in a tree and now |
| how to think creatively, that is, to create new | | | | kids get to watch for birds. |
| ideas from scratch. Creativity is, after all, an | | | | 6. Play with puppets. Use paper for finger puppets. |
| important life skill. | | | | Even something as simple as a small face drawn |
| Even if your child's teacher is restricted by | | | | on a piece of paper, cut out, and taped to a |
| "teaching for tests," you can encourage creative | | | | finger can be a puppet. Old socks make great |
| thinking at home. So turn off the TV. Turn off | | | | hand puppets. Puppets can talk. They can sing. |
| the computer games. Suggest activities and | | | | They can be silly. Now you can graduate to |
| games that promote creative thinking. | | | | puppet stories. Start with just two characters: |
| Try these activities: | | | | one child and one grown up, two children, two |
| 1. Drop one of your children's structured activities. | | | | animals. They'll start adding characters. Now give |
| Encourage them to go outside and play. | | | | them a box. Soon you'll be invited to watch |
| 2. Do "free" arts and crafts. Put paper, scraps, | | | | puppet plays performed in a decorated |
| glue, trinkets, markers, crayons, rubber bands, | | | | cardboard-box puppet stage. |
| paper clips, buttons, yarn, and anything else you | | | | 7. Experiment with science. Get directions from |
| can find on the table. Invite your kids to make | | | | the internet or a book on making a buzzer or |
| something. | | | | electric motor from junk: soup cans, wire, screws. |
| 3. Play animal games with younger children. Ask | | | | Have a race. Get a board about two feet long, |
| questions. How does the shape of their body | | | | and make a race course hill by propping up one |
| parts help them? How does their color help them | | | | end Race a full soup can and an empty soup can. |
| survive? Ask them to draw a creature with the | | | | They'll probably be surprised at which one wins. |
| head of one animal, the body of another and the | | | | Next race the can and a free wheeling toy car. If |
| tail of a third. What would they name this animal? | | | | they can figure out why the winners won, great. |
| What would it eat? How would it survive? What | | | | If not, it doesn't matter. Someday they'll learn it in |
| sound would it make? Where would it live? | | | | physics. |
| 4. Tell stories. You start with the first two | | | | If you're not thinking too creatively yourself, |
| sentences."Once upon a time there was a little girl | | | | libraries, bookstores, and the internet are loaded |
| named Suzie Q who loved her little dog named | | | | with "thinking out of the box" ideas for kids. |
| Squizzer. One day all of a sudden Squizzer . . ." | | | | And be sure to encourage your child's school to |
| Kids come up with the end of that sentence and | | | | promote creative thinking. Talk to teachers and |
| another sentence that stops in the middle. You | | | | the school principal. Bring up the importance of |
| get another turn. They get more turns. Then | | | | creativity at PTA meetings. Suggest creativity |
| someone says "The end. Add a timer to the | | | | play days to other parents. |