Creative Thinking Challenge for Tweens and Teens

Sometimes it seems that I write more about activities and games for young grandchildren.

(Whaddy mean, sometimes?!?)

Okay, okay. A lot of the time.

To change that, I have made this creative thinking activity for those tween and teen-aged grandchildren.

This stretches their thinking skills. It challenges their creativity. I think that they will have lots of fun playing this challenge with you.

Here’s how you play.

Materials needed:

• paper and pencil for each player
• timer

Read one of the challenges and then set the timer for 2 minutes. (I think it would be best for you, Grandma, to read the questions because the reader also sees the creative examples. You really don’t want them to see the samples given.)

Each player writes down her answers trying to be as creative as possible.

At the end of the two minutes, the players take turns reading what they wrote. If they have the same answer as someone else, they cross it off their list. (Like you do in Scategories.)

Players get one point for each ‘common’ answer and two points for creative ones.

The object of the game is to be the first person to get to 50 points.

Here is a list of the challenges.  (The examples in the parentheses are examples of creative answers that would be worth two points.)

1. Name as many bags as you can. (Barf bag, bags under your eyes, bag lady)
2. Name things that are hot. (your temper, a movie star that is attractive)
3. Name different kinds of jacks. (hijack, jack-o-lantern)
4. Name things that are colorful. (peacocks, Yellowstone National Park)
5. Name things that you should avoid. (fish avoid hooks, batters avoid striking out)
6. Name different kinds of boards. (boardwalk, chalkboard)
7. Name things that are fast. (the word fasten, meteors, fast shutter speed of a camera)
8. Name things that are false or fake. (Easter Bunny, false arrest, dentures)
9. Name as many lines as you can. (football lineup, lifeline, lining of your stomach)
10. Name things that slow you down. (potholes, sleep, leg irons)
11. Name unusual kinds of chairs or seats. (twin-seater airplane, county seat, wheel chair)
12. Name different kinds of light. (lighthouse, diet lite soda pop, the word delight)
13. Name as many bills as you can. (billy goat, billboard, duckbill platypus, bill in congress)
14. Name things that are slow. (redwood trees growing, slowpokes, hair turning gray)
15. Name things that are new. (new day, a newt, renew)
16. Name things that are round. (the letter ‘O’, the word ‘around,’ an expectant mother)
17. Name as many kinds of rings as you can. (telephone ring, ringworm)
18. Name as many kinds of ships as you can. (sportsmanship, craftsmanship)
19. Name things that are brown. (brown nose, brownie point, brown belt)
20. Name things that are little. (small in stature, belittle)
21. Name things that are cold. (cold shoulder, cold reception, having a cold)
22. Name things that ping. (a bad car engine, hail hitting a tin roof, a guitar string breaking)
23. Name things that are fat. (fatten up a cow for butchering, trans fats, fathead)
24. Name things that are sweet. (sweet pea flowers, sweetie as a term of endearment, bittersweet)
25. Name things that are flexible. (schedules, a rubber band, Twizzler candy)
26. Name different kinds of time. (air time, time out, anytime)
27. Name different kinds of books. (book nook, bookworm, bluebook, book binder)
28. Name things that are painful. (someone making fun of you, painstaking, after pains)
29. Name different kinds of chains. (chain smoking, chainsaw, chain gang)
30. Name things that are yellow. (yellow-bellied or yellow streak meaning being scared)

I have created a free printable of the creative thinking challenge and of the instructions and questions so that you can have them as you do this activity with your grandchildren.

You can also challenge  your grandchildren to create their own topics. Give them 5-10 minutes to see if they can write one or two of them. It’s not as easy as it seems!

(This could also be a fun activity, grandmothers, to play with YOUR friends.  See how creative THEY can be!)

Here’s to creativity and cleverness!