Creative Thinking
Getting your students to work on thinking skills and creative thinking can be fun. Here are some ideas
that you may wish to copy and then modify for use with your class:
1. Practice brainstorming with your class. Remember to set standards for behavior so that each child
feels free to participate.
2. Do role playing with "stories that end but aren't finished." Let the students come up with multiple
solutions to problems in the stories.
3. Tell the students that their book report, science report, or social studies project must be
presented in a way that differs from the way they usually present reports. Have them think about
acceptable ways to present the content that will be unique in some way. Make sure they discuss ideas
with you before going ahead with their ideas.
4. Have students do historical essays from the viewpoints of, for instance, a child living during that
time, a space traveler, an extinct animal, an ancient tree, etc.
5. Let students use computers to develop presentations for ideas such as the following: crime solving
in the year 2010; what if Abraham Lincoln (Gandhi, King, or Kennedy) had not been assassinated;
lasting peace in (and with) the Middle East; health and fitness for everyone (adults and students) in
the school; an inventive (invention) idea; cities of the future; the one thing the world needs; a new
play (or rule) for the NFL (or major league baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer); etc.
6. Give students an assignment to develop ideas about how to teach drug, smoking, alcohol abuse
education effectively. What would they do differently than what is being done in their school?
7. Have a talent show during which each student shares a special talent or goals related to a talent
(These might be poems, essays, songs, art work, athletic achievements, academic achievements, helping
others, etc.).
8. Give students the name of another student in the class. Have them write a very positive piece about
what they believe are the talents of this person and why these talents are important not only to the
person, but to the community and beyond. Set specific guidelines and standards for this activity.
Check the work before letting the students read them in class - just in case something may have been
written that may (sometimes inadvertently) offend the other student.
9. Start a round-robin story. Write the first chapter (depending upon grade and ability level, this
may be only a paragraph or two or much more) together with the class. Then take individual volunteers
to write each succeeding chapter. The story should end when the last student is finished writing.
Remember to review with students what is appropriate for the story.
10. Give student groups or individual students a number of ingredients or parts. Go over standards for
the activity. Then ask the students to make something (art, invention, food--whatever) out of what you
have given them.
11. Have the students think about the problems related to "so-called cool" groups in a school or
class. What ideas do your students have that would make everyone feel appreciated in a school or
class?
12. Have students compile their own list of people they admire. How did (are) these people make
((making) a difference? Do the students view these people as role models? Why or why not?
13. Ask your students to consider the problems of thinking differently. If they, for example, were to
"think differently" than the other students at school, would there be problems? What types of problems
did (do) famous people who thought (think) differently face? Does someone have to be brave to think
differently?
14. Give the students an assignment to create their own "masterpiece" of some type. Ask them to create
something they'll be proud to show to their parents and the class.
15. Have the students think about creative people such as Jim Henson. Why did he become so famous?
What set him apart from others who were puppeteers or puppet-makers?
16. Ask the students, How easy it to think differently? Are habits a problem? Are they "set in their
ways" already? What do they think of their abilities? Remind them that people such as Albert Einstein
and Thomas Edison believed that success came from a curious mind and hard work, not simply
intelligence. Discuss.
17. Give the students a goal-setting assignment. Review the progress of the goal setting every few
months.
Think Different Mini-Theme
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