9 Activities To Help Kids Develop Creative Thinking Skills
Are you on the lookout for some creative thinking activities for your kids? Look no further. We searched far and wide to bring you some activities and games to help your kids develop creative thinking skills.
Games, worksheets, exercises, ideas—we got a bit of everything to kindle your children’s minds and bring out their critical and creative side.
We recommend doing these every day and keeping a journal of the results to track your kids’ development better.
So, here are nine activities to help your kids develop creative thinking skills!
At Homeschool Spanish Academy, our elementary program combines high-energy, engaging Spanish instruction with real human connection and an expert-certified curriculum to build a magical world for your child to enter and enjoy while learning. Sign up for a free trial Spanish class today. ➡️
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What Are Creative Thinking Skills?
- 9 Kid-Friendly Activities for Developing Creative Thinking Skills
- Let Your Kids Learn Spanish to Boost Their Creativity
What Are Creative Thinking Skills?
Let’s take a moment first to understand what creative thinking skills are and why they are essential.
Creative thinking refers to the skills and abilities one uses to come up with a solution to everyday problems. For example, imagine that you want to lift something heavy but you can’t. Your creative thinking skills would tell you to think outside the box and use a lever.
In other words: work smarter, not harder.
These skills are often appreciated and needed in businesses and will help your kids come up with brilliant answers and solutions in school.
Creative thinking skills often require experimentation, lateral thinking, mind mapping, curiosity, the ability to compare and oppose views, among other things.
These skills are regularly motivated by STEAM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).
9 Kid-Friendly Activities for Developing Creative Thinking Skills
1. Crafts
Think of LEGOs, building blocks, tinker toys, pottery, knitting, and even playdough. Any toys that require your kids to create, build, and innovate, not just play with or move action figures, will force them to think creatively. Also, many of these require problem-solving.
Remember, many of these toys come with predetermined sets, and your kids might want to use them. But encourage them to create freely. In no time, they will show you just how creative they are!
Ask them to build vehicles, bridges, towers, buildings, tiny furniture, a raft, and a catapult! Try combining their toys with things they can find at home: bags, yarn, coins, rubber bands, and spaghetti.
Crafts are beneficial to high school and elementary students, and research has found that they are good for people’s mental health.
Recommended: 12 Inspirational Earth Day Activities for Elementary Kids in Spanish
2. Jigsaw Puzzles
Unlike crafts, with puzzles and jigsaw puzzles there’s only one possible outcome: completion—and it’s based on the image provided on the box.
While there’s little room for innovation, puzzles are highly beneficial for problem-solving.
Obvious, huh? But there’s more!
Puzzles improve people’s attention span, short-term memory, mental speed, and spatial awareness. What’s more, they’re an excellent meditation tool and stress reliever and they’re fantastic for connecting with others.
Experts on memory loss and mental health often recommend these for people of all ages.
Your kids can start children’s puzzles. You can find four or five-piece puzzles, ten, or 20-piece puzzles, and slowly increase the difficulty. Who knows? Maybe in a few years, you and your kids will put together one of those 1000-piece all-white “impossible” puzzles.
Hear Your Child Speak Spanish! Your Free Trial Class Is Waiting ➡️
3. Sports
Maybe your kids can’t sit still. Are they the type who likes to run, jump, shout, and climb constantly?
Then you should look into sports.
Baseball, football, basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, parkour, and martial arts—there are plenty to choose from, and they require some type of problem-solving and creative skills.
Research has shown that sports and any type of physical activity are great ways for kids to express themselves and build self-confidence.
Traditional sporting activities are also instrumental in developing motor skills and reflexes, and, naturally, are beneficial to your kids’ health and strengthen their children’s immune systems.
Related content: Know the Field! Soccer Positions in Spanish
4. Music and Musical Instruments
Similar to sports, music and playing musical instruments can activate many of your kids’ developmental and creative skills. In fact, in 2016, scientists from the University of Southern California discovered a link between music in early childhood and accelerated brain development.
Additionally, music improves fine and large motor skills, language skills, management of emotions, self-confidence, literacy, patience, discipline, and creativity in general.
5. Cooking
Crack the eggs, roll the dough, and cut the vegetables. All these activities can significantly boost your kids’ creative and developmental skills. Cooking, in general, can teach children basic math concepts and essential language skills, as well as fine and large motor skills. Other benefits include: improved reading skills, introducing children to scientific concepts such as temperature, increased focus, attention, etc.
As for creativity, if you let them roam free, soon your kids will start making their own dishes. Who knows! Maybe you got a little chef in your house, waiting to find its potential.
Handpicked just for you: The Easy Guide to Food and Drink Vocabulary in Spanish
6. Reading and Writing
This is a no-brainer, huh? Reading and writing skills are instrumental to kids’ success in school.
Additionally, reading and writing can help your kids develop cognitive skills like remembering stuff and how to concentrate and pay attention. It can also improve language skills.
Children have the unbridled capacity to imagine things and dream, so it’s the perfect time to introduce them to literature and creative writing. Also, if you take the time to read aloud to your kids and if they see you reading as well, you’re cultivating a lifelong love of reading in your spare time. Author and educator Jim Trelease once wrote: “Every time we read to a child, we’re sending a ‘pleasure’ message to the child’s brain.”
As for writing, it’s a great stress reliever, and it improves focus, discipline, and hand-eye coordination. In addition, it stimulates the brain and boosts creativity.
Check out: 11 Books About Spring in Spanish for Kids
7. Chess
Chess is one of the oldest board games and strategy games globally. Historical texts suggest that people played a form of chess in the 7th century in ancient Persia, and its modern version has many creative and developmental benefits.
Kids who play chess often develop and strengthen their logical, analytical, and creative skills and concentration, and memory. Chess also develops problem-solving skills—it’s not easy to take the king! Additionally, playing the game helps to build planning skills, precaution, and anticipation. Much like in life, in chess, your children will have to plan their next move carefully.
You might need: The Ultimate Guide to Chess Vocabulary in Spanish
8. Video Games
Yes! Video games! Playing video games is not as bad as we might think.
Playing video games increases mental cognition, helps develop motor skills, can teach kids leadership skills, heightens one’s reflexes, improves hand-eye coordination and children’s problem-solving abilities, etc. Also, we recommend you look into educational video games. Not every game is violent, and not every game is about blowing up stuff. Many games are as interactive as a jigsaw puzzle. Think of Tetris, Portal, and Minecraft.
9. Language Learning
We’re leaving the best for last!
Language learning can immensely boost your kids’ creativity and creative thinking skills! Just imagine, they’ll have access to tons of new words and new ways to connect them and build a sentence. Additionally, they will learn about new cultures from countries around the world. When we learn a new language, we are introduced to new ideas and concepts, customs and history, art and culture. Also, we have access to words that don’t exist in our language!
The science is clear—learning another language will have a direct positive impact on your child’s academic achievement. Compared to those without an additional language, bilingual children have improved reading, writing, and math skills, and they generally score higher on standardized tests. Sign up for a free trial Spanish class today. ➡️
Sign Your Kids to Spanish Class and Boost Their Creativity!
Did you know that behind only English, Mandarin, and Hindi, Spanish is the most spoken language on the planet? More than 500 million people speak Spanish, and it’s the official language of 21 countries, including countries in Africa and Asia. So sign your kid today for a free class, and they’ll be speaking Spanish in no time. And yes, we offer flexible programs for preschoolers and kids in elementary school.
Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these…
“This is the best way for your kid to learn Spanish. It’s one-on-one, taught by native Spanish speakers, and uses a curriculum.”
– Sharon K, Parent of 3
“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”
– Cindy D, Parent of 3
“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”
– Erica P. Parent of 1
Get more kid-friendly educational content!
- How You Can Encourage Your Child To Speak Spanish at Home
- Keep Your Spanish Skills Sharp Over Summer Vacation
- Discover the Joy of Learning Spanish with Summer Fun Activities
- 7 Powerful Reasons Why Bilingualism in Children MattersPowerful Reasons Why Bilingualism in Children Matters
- Fall En Español: Exploring Autumn Activities for Kids
- Fun and Language: Spanish Playdates for Kids
- Milestone Moments: Tracking Kids’ Spanish Progress
- Building Blocks: Kid-Friendly Spanish Grammar
- What Does it Actually Take to Become Fluent in Spanish? - August 29, 2024
- Learn About Hispanic History: Were Hispanics Slaves? - May 30, 2024
- Turn Your Life Around: From Passive Bilingualism to Fluency! - April 4, 2024
