CREATIVITY BOOSTING TIPS

Creativity is typically used to refer to the act of coming up with new ideas, approaches or actions. It’s not to be misunderstood as being the invention or innovation itself, it’s the spark, the very start of it. But without creativity there is neither.

Creativity has to do with our thinking ability: It’s recognizing pattern and principles, jumping tracks and applying pattern and principles onto other areas, developing critical thinking and problem solving skills, and exploring the world around us.

Creativity has also to do with our imagination: the playful exploration of a theme through play, music, drama, dance, art, writing, and inventing. Creativity is in the essence trying new and unique ways of doing and/or creating things.

Creativity is god-given, can be spurred on and surely needs to be maintained. Best is to start early and expose kids regularly to various sensational experiences. As they grow older, keep in mind to have a good balance of planned activities that introduce new themes/ topics and/or skills and time for undistracted working and experimenting on their own. This is especially important once a child is in school and time is very regulated.

The following list gives ideas how to boost your creativity. These ideas are not listed according to priority or age, and in regards to the exercises: they are successful when applied regularly.

1 - Create a clutter-free home and keep it that way. A clutter-free home lifts the spirit and ‘gives room’ for thought.

2 - Use colors, scent, inspirational quotes, and inspiring mobiles and objects to stimulate your emotions and brain activity.

3 - Circle toys regularly.

4 - Offer materials with very different texture and properties to experiment and create with: water, sand, rice, dried beans, wood, stones, sticks, shaving cream, play dough, goo … They all stimulate the senses in various ways.

5 - Change your furniture around every now and then. Change places at the dinner table.

6 - Add or take something from the decoration in your home and let everyone find out what has changed …

7 - Change your daily driving or walking route every now and then. Observe what has changed.

8 - Classify items, see how many classifications you can find, which is the most logic?

9 - Take a household item and brainstorm/experiment what all you can do with it.

10 - Observe a piece of nature and brainstorm where you can find this principle in your daily living. For example the principle of a thistle is found in Velcro.

11 - Find problems within your daily living and search/brainstorm for solutions. Ask a lot of w-questions to come to the source of the problem, such as:
What is causing the problem?
Why is it causing it?
What else is connected with it?

12 - Create riddles and jokes.

13 - Do brainteasers of all sorts and riddles whenever you can.

14 - Read books and watch videos on how things work.

15 - Read a lot. If you read to your child(ren), show the title and/or some pictures and ask him/her/them what could happen in the story. During the story pause every now and then and ask “what would have happened if …"questions.

16 - Look for ways to do cross-lateral movements, e.g. place your cup on the left side of the plate to reach over, squeeze out your toothpaste with your left hand if you’re right handed and vica versa.

17 - Do this exercise daily: Stretch your right arm and draw a laying eight in the air before your breastplate. Repeat with the left arm, then do it with both arms. Make small eights and really big ones. Go slow and speed up. These cross-lateral movements will enhance the connection between your left and right brain and spur on the general brain activity.

18 - Play silly and pretend games.

19 - Use instrumental music (Mozart, J.S. Bach) when working on something creative or while solving a problem. Music touches emotions and through it strengthens learning.

20 - Learn to play a music instrument and play it often, alone and together with others.

21 - Listen to music and draw what you hear/feel.

22 - Create art works, both paintings and sculptures. Experiment with various materials, colors, and techniques. Come up with own twists.

23 - Dissemble old electrical instruments and try to put them together again.

24 - Do puzzles, once you’re good at it, go for the 3-D puzzles.

25 - Ask a lot of why questions.

26 - Do regularly some brainstorming: synonyms, antonyms, words that start or end with a specific letter, categories such as vehicles, fruits, sports, organizations, sports …

27 - Go to exhibits, museums, art galleries, field trips …

28 - Step into the shoes of other people, animals, flowers, … Explore their point of view.

29 - Play a lot and try to bring a playful touch to everything. Get innovative …