Page 6 Often when we think of creativity we immediately think of art, but creativity is found in multiple other disciplines from an engineer solving a challenging problem, to a software designer creating an app, to a doctor discovering a new surgical procedure, creativity is everywhere and the good news is, it’s a skill everyone can learn. Ideas to help build creative thinking skills Never underestimate the power of play. Play is a great way to bring out creativity in all ages. Children benefit tremendously playing with adults and seeing adults play and be silly. Toddlers to Kindergarten • Lots of play, discovery, trial and error • Lego, blocks, building, creating • Story telling through play e.g. Literacy Kits at VIRL Cultural Literacy Kits VIRL • Games like What if…. What if a dinosaur joined us for dinner? What if we could make a snowman in July? What if you had superpowers? Gr 1-3 Students • Give them opportunities for discovery, collaboration, decision making • Find a problem they are interested in and work with then them to solve it • Designate a creative space in your home with pencils, paper, crayons, blocks, glue, lego • Give your child plenty of free time to create • Expose them to a variety of opportunities within your community, take them to the library, museum, park, beach, playground…-let their creativity soar in new environments Gr. 4-7 Students • As children get older ask them about their creative thinking process. Ask them how they feel during this process. Is it frustrating, rewarding, complex? • Share time with them creating inventions, coming up with new solutions to everyday problems, creating elaborate experiments together… trying, failing and trying again. • Intermediate students are at a great age to dive deeper into a conversation about the creative process. What process are they using? How are they feeling during the process? Are there other processes? By focusing on the process rather than the result, you are building creative thinking skills. Secondary Students Creativityisalearnedskill,anditisimproved through practice. In high school students have lots of opportunity to be creative through assignments, problem solving and through working collaboratively. Encourage your teen to discuss a real world, gnarly problems, then ask them to find a creative solution. They will be most engaged when the problem is relevant to them. The learned skill of creativity is demonstrated in all areas of life from art, to music, to engineering, to business and software programming. Take time to grow your child’s creativity skills.