The document discusses strategies for using open-ended questions to promote creative thinking in children. It provides examples from three credible sources that recommend giving children opportunities to explore with different materials, engage in messy activities, and have freedom in dramatic play and art. The sources agree that teachers should avoid judging children's answers and instead provide encouragement. The document also notes that limiting rewards can increase children's internal motivation to solve problems creatively.

1. How Can Open-
Ended Questions
Get Children to
Think Creatively and
Outside the Box?
Khanthaly Linthakhanh
SOE 115 Psychology of
Teaching and Learning
Kendall College

2. OVERVIEW OF THE STATEMENT
Creative thinking has boundless opportunities to be uncovered in
a child’s mind. Teachers have limitless opportunities for their
students to explore their own way of thinking. Children should be
able to pursue the knowledge they are absorbing in the most
engaging of opportunities. Giving children freedom to explore
and participate without judgement will help the child feel that their
ideas and answers are worth listening to.
I chose this strategy because I enjoy the answers that are
brought into focus. I want the children to be able to think outside
the box with the ideas they are coming up with. It opens up
endless possibilities for children to think of what they see as the
answer to the question. I am hoping to learn more to better their
achievement in using their brain to process the ideas they come
up with. I would also like to learn on different strategies I could
use with my own students to open their creative thinking skills.

3. CREDIBLE SOURCE #1
In the article called, “Creative Development in 3-5 Year Olds.”
The author dives into on how she perceives we can help
students unlock their imagination. She states we should
encourage problem solving using creativity. Allow the students
to develop freeform thinking. To promote a child’s thinking we
should use objects that promote thinking outside of the box.
Problem solving should be encouraged for the creativity of
thinking. Experiences should be in bountiful to encourage the
development of knowledge. Offer opportunities for the child to
create with different supplies. Allow for rule breaking to have
them able to think of different ways of doing something. Have
props available will encourage exploration. We should present
time appropriate and messy activities for exploration.

4. CREDIBLE SOURCE #2
In the article called, “How to Promote Creative Thinking.” The
author goes into using Divergent Thinking. In this process old
ideas in this process get broken up. It allows inventing
connections in new ways. When teaching creatively has
opportunities to develop self-worth. It is limitless in positive
reinforcement. It has the children develop their own
uniqueness. During activities it will allow for freedom of
expression. Activities with open-ended questions have no limit
on what answer the child can come up with. Innovative
thinking can present themselves during the exploration of art
and imaginative games because of the openness of
possibilities the child can conjure up. Children using music
gives them cooperative inventive playing skills. The area for
dramatic play has boundless opportunities for children to think
of their own scenarios and thinking. The author states that we
should have the room arranged for adventures they can use
their creativity in.

5. CREDIBLE SOURCE #3
In the article, “7 Ways to Foster Creativity in Your Kids.” The
author believes that creativity is a skill to practice and helps with
the happiness and health of a child. Creativity helps problem
solving skills and thinking flexibility. Allow for space for children’s
exploration offering different supplies to foster their thinking of
using certain objects. In activities give the children freedom to
have trial and error. Activities should give them the opportunity
for them to do what they want. Allow for flexibility for activities.
Using props helps with creative thinking in arts activities. She
states to limit incentives for creative thinking it will limit their
ability to motivate themselves to accomplish the result. She also
states achievement should be fun and encourage the process.

6. ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION
I noticed that the authors have similar philosophies on having
opportunities to explore. They stated that having props and
different supplies promotes creative thinking. They recognize
that children need plenty of space to explore and be messy.
Teachers should reduce the urge to judge a students work. The
children should be able to have the time they need to pursue
their ideas and come up with their own conclusions. Children
should have different opportunities to use their creative thinking
skills. The author of the last article made a statement that stuck
out to me. She stated that we should limit the incentives they
give because it reduces the motivation they could use to
accomplish the accomplish a their own result. The articles have
broadened my knowledge on what can be used, strategies and
how much the environment can have effect on their creativity in
the space they are given.

7. CONNECTIONS
In creative thinking the child’s brain is able to be free to choose
what they are thinking. They are unlimited with the thinking
process that they need to come to their own conclusions. The
child’s cognition is being developed at their own pace in
processing what they are thinking. The child is able to be free
to choose their own thoughts to answer an open-ended
question. Their cognitive skills are being used in this process
during the steps the child uses to come up with their answers.
The tools that the child can use during this process can develop
a different way of thinking. During the processing having the
teachers along to guide the child with opportunities to think for
themselves gets the child to have a sense of accomplishment.
The feeling of accomplishment will help to motivate them to
want to achieve more. Creativity is needed to be able to
process ideas and figure out the answers in an individual way.

8. CONCLUSIONS
I think creativity is needed in the thinking process. It allows for
us to think of the answers to questions in different ways.
Coming up with different ideas expands our thinking to see how
others may process to come up with their own answers. It
opens up discussions to how an individual came up with a
certain answer. I enjoy asking open-ended to see if I can spark
an out of the box answer. I get excited when I hear multiple
answers to one question. I would like to offer the props the
articles suggested and see what the children come up with. I
tend to use open-ended questions during story time. I am
eager to be able to use it more in different areas of the
classroom. I relish the chance to get the children to think
differently. I can see the sense of accomplishment when they
are able to answer the question their own way. I will continue
to do what I do and incorporate the ideas I read about in the
articles.

9. COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILIES
What I would say to the parents is:
I use open-ended questions to get the children to develop their
cognitive skills. They are able to process their own answers to
the question that has no wrong comment. I would inform that
we use this process throughout the classroom to see if they can
develop the knowledge in different situations. When using
creative thinking the child will develop a sense of
accomplishment knowing that their answer is not wrong it is just
different. The difference is what has us thinking what the
person could have been thinking to come up with the answer
they did. It gives every child the understanding that some
questions can have more than one answer to them. I would
also encourage parents to use this process at home and see
what the child is able to come up with when they are not limited
to one right answer.

10. REFERENCES
Anthony, M. PhD. (2017). Creative Development in 3-5 Year
Olds. Received February 16, 2017 from
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/stages-
milestones/creative-development-3-5-year-olds.
Carter, C. PhD. (September 16, 2008). 7 Ways to Foster
Creativity in Your Kids. Received February 17, 2017 from
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/raising_happiness/post/7_way
s_to_foster_creativity_in_your_kids.
Sterling Honig, A. (n.a.). How to Promote Creative Thinking.
Received February 16, 2017 from
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-
content/how-promote-creative-thinking/.