Here's a recent post that shows how you can play any of these creativity games using Google Apps for Education. Specifically, you'll use Docs, Slides, Forms and Classroom. Most resources below will not refer to that method, but you can use it for them.
**I apologize that many of the links below are not working now, especially links to online versions of my games. I am trying to find options to update them.
Presentation Games
First, here's a creativity game using Google Slides. It's a recent addition to the site. These following games are built on other platforms as described in their descriptions and related posts.The Classroom Creativity Game - This is probably the best place to start, since it combines most of the activities below into one webpage:
And here is a similar creativity game designed to teach the important elements of a great story:
Coming Soon - the Creativity Game of Great Movie Trailers.
When I introduce those games to a class I also teach them related creativity exercises. This popular post has an example of my presentation:
Creativity and Games - Classroom Presentation
And one of my favorite games for encouraging creative answers to fun questions is Say Anything. It's a little different than the games mentioned below, but it's the best for ease of use and adaptability for any content area. It's also the best choice for the elementary grades.
We need to teach creativity in school. Here are some ways that I am trying to do that.
Several years ago I worked with my friend Kory Heath on a creativity game system. I played a lot of creativity games with my students in the high school game club at that time. I modified some of those games so they could be used as interactive classroom games.
Here's a short video that explains how the games work. It also describes one creative game in the system that can be modified to fit a variety of content area classes.
See the original post about the creativity game system if you want to read more about how the system was developed.
“Creativity is just connecting things.” -Steve Jobs
In all of these game activities below, random words are selected and from them the players must come up with creative responses based on those words. In terms of Steve Jobs’ quote, they will practice creativity by making connections between seemingly unrelated things.
After writing this post I came across an excellent article about the need for teaching creativity in school. In it, the author describes creativity as a process of divergent thinking to get ideas and convergent thinking to wrangle those ideas into something of value. These creativity games can serve as an excellent exercise for that process.
If you are playing these games with a group of friends, one player will judge each round and pick a couple winning submissions. In the classroom games below, the class can vote using a classroom response system like the ActivExpressions.
Creativity Games -
Computer Versions
I started programming some Flash versions of creativity games in Stencyl. Why Did the Chicken...? is the first one I completed. Check it out on the Stencyl Arcade. If you like it, let me know. The basic engine is simple to modify to create any of the other games below.
The traditional paper and pencil versions
Only one of these games is a product you would have to purchase. The others can be played with just a pencil and some paper. For use in class, students could play in groups of four to six.- Why Did the Chicken...? - This is the boxed version of the game system where players make creative, funny answers to riddles.
- The Haiku Game - I made this game using letter cards for an old game that is no longer available. You could play it with Scrabble tiles or any game that has letter cards.
- Cartoon Chicken - This is by far my favorite of the creativity games. Players make captions for two randomly paired drawings.
- The Chicken Game System - This is Kory Heath’s page for the generic system. It is a great read for any serious game designer. From here you can learn to make a playable version of any of the creativity games mentioned here.
- Abe & Einstein - This is a hilarious game I created using this system in which players imagine conversations between two people who would probably never meet. See the video clip above for a brief description of how this game is played.
- Get Paul That Promotion - This is my twisted anti-creativity game based on the system. It is available for free at the link. You can read about how it was invented with the help of my students here.
Playing in the Classroom
Here are the flipcharts I have made based on this general system using random prompts, creative submissions and a selection of the winner. Most are based on my haiku game. Like all of my classroom games, they are designed for ActivInspire and ActivExpressions, but you can adapt them to be used with any computer/projector setup and any classroom response system (including a show of hands).- Why Did the Chicken...? - Kory Heath gave me permission to do this flipchart based on the game that started it all. I wrote more about the game and have a short video here.
- Mythology version of Why Did the Chicken...? - This is the same as above, but I added Pandora's Box filled with nouns from Greek mythology. It's an example of how the game can be easily adapted to specific content areas.
- The Haiku Game - Students compete to write haikus based on generic nouns.
- The Mythology Haiku Game - The same game, but with words related to Greek myths.
- The Halloween Haiku Game - And the game with words related to Halloween.
- Split Decision - This game is a little different than the others, but players are encouraged to write creative responses based on a randomly chosen topic. The goal is to present tough decisions to the class.
Of course any of the traditional games mentioned above could be adapted to classroom play. You can play with a few contestants, like the classroom flipcharts above, or you could have all students write responses. Determining a winning submission could be handled with a vote or a single judge as appropriate for your class.
Donations are definitely accepted!
If you find any of these flipcharts or other resources on the blog useful, please consider donating $1 to $3. Any money I receive this way will be used in my district to purchase resources for technology integration. I and my students greatly appreciate your support! I would love to hear how you use the resources too.
