What most educators believe is that it’s creativity in an individual, that’s the real genius. What children who are intelligent does is they’ll learn faster, while having the ability to apply this knowledge of what they’ve learned into their everyday life situations. What thinking radically of new and unique ideas, is genius.
What the world admires is originality, whether it be original artwork, an original story, or an invention which makes life easier for others. This is what some refer to as “thinking out of the box,” where the individual will bust through conformity and the mundane, and then create instead of comply to the norm.
What’s also thought is that this brand of thinking can be instilled on how our children are taught, this to promote creative thinking. To teach them not to become abrasive, but to think radically and question everything.
So what’s been developed are a few activities which can contribute to developing this valuable skill, which is thinking abstractly. All that’s needed are slight adjustments, this based on the child’s age, skill, and potential.
To Start A Story
This is a game where one begins telling a story, but stops after a few sentences. The next child then continues the story. There’s no limit on how many can participate.
What’s recommended is recording the story, so it can be distributed to the participants later. What this activity does is trains the child to creatively think on their feet under pressure.
Picture Tells A 1000 Words
Compile intriguing pictures from a book, from magazines, off the Internet, and then print or cut them out. Place the pictures next to each other, and then allow the child to tell a story, this based on the images.
Take turns on developing a story based on the pictures. Allow the child to go first, and then add your contribution. Another variation is placing the pictures face down, and then turn them over one by one, this to build the story.
Gradually increase the speed of turning the pictures over, so the story telling process starts to become quicker and more imaginative.
Once you’re finished with the set of pictures, then change their order, and see if the child can come up with a different story, this based on the new mix.
To Tap Into Creativity
Prepare a series of words written on cards, and then ask the child to tell a story using these words. Use the same variations as the pictures.
Play a piece of classical music that the child has never heard, and then ask them to describe how the music makes them feel, the type of mood they’re in.
Play a piece of music, and then have the child draw or paint a picture which shows the drama that they think the music is portraying, the story that the music is telling.
Change The Feeling
Once the child comes up with a story using one of these activities, then ask them to change the story, this in order to change the mood.
If they feel that the story is sad, then are they able to change the story so it will become happy. Are they able to change something that is serious to funny, a mystery into a comedy.
When reading a book to, or with the child, make sure that you always ask open ended thought provoking questions, such as, how differently would you handle this situation? How do you think the character felt? What should the character do differently?
Expand Their Mind
Print out several pictures and then glue them on cardboard to make them durable. Cut the picture into 9 parts, and then ask the child to place the picture back whole again.
Once they’re able to piece them back together into the original picture, then mix up all the pieces, so the child can create a collage.
Begin by mixing two pictures together, and then add more. Begin with bigger pieces such as 4 parts, and then advance towards smaller pieces, this by cutting the pictures like a jigsaw. Begin using more complicated pictures, which includes plenty of detail.
Play Role Playing Games
Start to play “pretend” games with the child, this by they acting out how they currently feel by role playing. Once you read a story, then ask the child to play out the role of their favorite character.
Whenever your child has friends over, ask them to create a short play, and then perform it for the parents. This is a fun activity for the children, which forces them to think creatively, while forcing them out of their comfort zone.
Ask your child to paint a picture of an object, this in a variety of different colors. For instance, ask them to draw or paint a bowl of fruit. Have them change the colors, such as a purple apple, a blue banana, etc.
Alter Thinking Paths
Choose a certain day a week, and then have all family members do their routine activities or chores in a different way.
For instance, rearrange their room, dress differently than usual, take a different route to school. Sing instead of talk, wake up earlier, play a new game. Force and encourage them to be as creative as possible,
Never discourage your child from using their imagination. If your child ever tells an imaginary story, regardless or how absurd, always praise them by acknowledging their creativity.
If your child happens to show originality, then acknowledge their creative thinking. Where genius sprouts from is early in a child’s life.
What creativity needs is to be nurtured and not ridiculed for it to blossom. Know the signs of how original and creative they are. Always praise while encouraging these traits.