Suggestions To Extend Creative Thinking Skills

A definition of creativity is “What do I do when I confront a problem for which I have no learned solution?”
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Creativity is not only the arts. Successful people in all disciplines use creative thinking skills. Some things you could do to support growth in creative thinking skills include:

 Analyze paintings, sculpture, music as they pertain to content
 Create riddles, jokes, or cartoons based upon content
 Create analogies based upon content: “How is a ___like a ___?”
 Use guided imagery/visualization
 Practice fluency: How many ideas can you make?
 Practice elaboration: How many details can you add?
 Ask “What might happen if…?”
 Ask “What don’t we know about…(content)?”, Generate lists of questions
 Ask “How can you improve…?”
 Ask “What are the ethical or global implications of…?”
 Ask “How does (a concept) look, sound, taste, smell, feel?”
 Ask “What possible explanations are there for…?”
 Ask “What possible consequences are there for…?”
 Write dialogue between historical characters, scientific processes, etc.
 Combine characters from different stories to make a new story
 Construct, draw, or create visual representations of content
 Participate in such programs as: Odyssey of the Mind, Future Problem-Solving, Georgia State Saturday School, Camp Invention
 Field trips to such places as art museums
 Read books that use content creatively, such as The Phantom Tollbooth by Juster and Lost in Lexicon by Noyce
 Use fantasy to discuss content
 Analyze content from more than one point of view/perspective
 Practice activities in How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Gelb
 Use Enrichment Sites on www.fultongifted.org
 Use resources such as Tin Man Press, Bright Ideas, Nature Watch, Museum Tour, Gifted and Talented Workbook Series, Creative Learning Press, Creative Teaching Press, Critical Thinking Co.