Brainstorming Activity

According to Susan K. Perry in Playing Smart, the more a child uses brainstorming skills, the more creative a thinker she will be. Brainstorming is thinking up as many answers to a question as possible. Below are some ideas to get you started. After you've brainstormed for a while, brainstorm some new brainstorming topics!


  1. Think up far-fetched excuses for why something was or wasn't done, for example: I didn't have a bath because the tub was full of piranhas.
  2. Ask the question Must you ______ to ______? For example: Must you go to school to be smart?
  3. Make up a ten-ways-not-to list, for example: Ten Ways Not to Get Good Grades: Sleep during class. Don't do your homework....
  4. Fill in the blanks in the following sentence: It was so ______ that ______. For example: It was so hot outside that my lemonade boiled.
  5. Make up a 101-uses-for list, for example: 101 Uses for Paper Clips: Holding papers together. Picking locks. Making necklaces. Playing with magnets....
  6. Think up as many oxymorons (figures of speech that seem to contradict themselves) as you can, for example: an honest thief or tears of joy. Just for fun, you might think up oxymorons that are particular to your family. In our house, quiet boy and sleeping baby are oxymorons!


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