Summer Creativity Exploration

By Elizabeth Mallegni, WATG Board Member
One area of gifted and talented development is in creativity. Creativity goes far beyond the art or music class we have during the school day. Creativity is thinking out of the box (or maybe changing the box), brainstorming many and unique ideas, problem solving, exploring and experimenting on the ideas we have. Dr. Donald Treffinger defines creativity as the ability to produce novel and appropriate outcomes to problems, challenges, or opportunities. Summer time is the perfect opportunity to get kids thinking about their thinking to produce creative ideas. While much of technology we use is full of creative endeavor, we must remember that getting away from our devices and outside or working with materials stretches our brain. Consider supporting your creative child at home and most importantly, have fun with some of these ideas!

• Place a random object (think paperclip, pom pom ball, or water bottle cap) on their plate at dinnertime and see how many uses they can come up for it.
• Put a funny item in a paper bag and see if they can come up with how it relates to one of their friends or family members.
• Make an outline of a person on a piece of paper and write words on the outside of the outline of ideas you think about and doodles on the inside to represent those ideas.
• Using only cardboard and tape make a maze for marble races.
• Create a HexBug habitat out of cardboard and objects from around the house.
• Get a helium balloon and create a mini hot air balloon for your pet bug.
• Do the 30 circles challenge as a family.
• Start the giggles when you draw something like your friend’s portrait with your non-dominant hand.
• Gather random materials from around the house- paper, glue, sticks, string, markers, straws, anything-and spend 10 minutes making something. The goal is to figure out what your creation could become.
• Take a different way to work or school than your normal route. Make a new observation.
• Start that next creative project you have been putting off. Go ahead paint your child’s room a new color. It’s just paint.
• Turn off all devices and just think, read, draw, be outside and create.
• Write a one or two minute skit about something ordinary with an out-of-the ordinary ending. Perform it for your friend.
• Bake or cook something together. Change or add an ingredient to make the recipe unique.
• Learn how to solve the rubik’s cube together.
• Do a puzzle together. When you are done, paint another image over the top to make a new puzzle.
• Put up a large white board in the house and draw messages to each other everyday.
• Watch John Spencer’s video called Think Inside the Box: The Power of Creative Constraint, for some inspiration.
• ​Create a makerspace at home. Check out these ideas.