How to Encourage Creativity in the Classroom
There are many times during the day that children can't be creative. When a child is working on addition and subtraction, she must follow set rules. Use writing and reading time to encourage creativity. These activities help each child build self-esteem and express her personality. Fill your classroom with make-believe centers and dress-up clothes. Decorate with bright colors and bring in pillows and comfortable chairs. If your classroom looks exciting, it will stimulate the imaginations of every student who enters.
Instructions
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Play music at the beginning of every day. Put on children's dance music or current pop music with age-appropriate lyrics. Dance around the classroom for 5 minutes, though don't force anyone to dance, since some children may be self-conscious. Dancing will let children express themselves and help loosen them up.
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Bring in drums made of oatmeal boxes. Buy other instruments from the dollar store. Let children make music and work together as a band. Play a song and ask them to play along. Hum or play a familiar tune and ask students to make up their own words.
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Put on a play or skit. Give older children a play to rehearse and perform or ask them to work together to write their own lines. Younger children won't be able to memorize lines, so choose a topic for a skit. Give them characters to play and let them make up their own lines. Bring in costumes and props and let children choose what they'll use. Perform the play for classmates and teachers rather than parents. Making the environment casual lets children be creative and loose rather than dealing with stage fright.
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Read books every day. Include books about fairy tales and science fiction to get imaginations moving. Perform each book while you read it. Use hand movements and props. Create a different voice for each character.
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Ask children to create their own stories. Start off by asking them to continue the story of a book they've read. Older children can write the story of what comes next, while younger children can create pictures. Children can then write stories about their own lives and their classroom. Once they've had some practice with story-telling, suggest they create a make-believe story about characters they invent. Tie the pages together into a book and display the books in the classroom.
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Give students a simple concept and ask them to design an experiment that relates to the concept. For instance, choose a subject like "rain." Students may choose to create a rain-capturing device or study the effects of rain on different fabrics. Create open guidelines so each child can use his creativity to complete the assignment.
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Give positive feedback whenever a child shows creativity. When a child creates a "new way" of spelling a word, don't tell him he's wrong. Suggest that he try spelling it a different way, then demonstrate the correct spelling. If he creates a story that makes no sense to you, praise his efforts anyway. Make him feel comfortable to express himself or he may shut down and stop being creative in the classroom.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Explore creativity image by Ivonne Wierink from Fotolia.com
