It’s important to give our kids the freedom to be creative. In a world full of distractions and people constantly consuming content, it’s imperative we take a break from it all and have time to think and create something we are passionate about. 

Hi! My name is Danielle and I have enjoyed watching my kids express their creative sides through our 20 years of homeschooling and would love to share what we’ve done to encourage their creativity so your kids can have the same opportunities. 

We All Need a Break to Enjoy Time Being Creative

School is important and many of us homeschoolers see the value in continuing subjects throughout the summertime. I will say Math and foreign language studies are more effective if you don’t take the entire summer off. Talk about brain drain at the beginning of the school year if you do. 🥴 There have been many studies to show how much is lost after just a month away from our schoolwork, however, taking a break is important as well and should be a part of our schooling. Often when I gave my kids a break, that’s when they would come up with their most creative ideas. Some even better than any assignment I could ever give them.

Writing

One year my daughter wrote a play. She recruited her friends to be a part of this little production. The script is only two pages long but gets to the heart of the message so well. She chose music to go along with it and coordinated rehearsals to practice the songs as a group and the lines for the play. (click here to learn more about her experience and other suggestions)

Another year she published a short story she wrote in 8th grade, then tried to create a movie version of the story. Even though she never completed the movie, coming up with ideas for how it could be filmed, collaborating with others, creating the script and acting out different scenes was a great way to express her creative energy.

The next summer she decided to write a sequel to the short story she had written. Giving her time to have some quiet allowed the opportunity for her to come up with creative ideas.

Maybe writing a play is too much for this summer, but performing in one that already exists is doable. Check out these plays.

Building Sets

For my son, he would build incredible creations from Lego. He was the type who didn’t enjoy the preset kits that had a specific end result. He would build those, but he much preferred to come up with his own ideas using many different Lego from all different kits. He once built an entire town and would add different details inside the buildings. Sometimes a house required a remodel. He would include our family in these projects as we were each allowed to build our own house or a store to add to the town. It was amazing to watch how he used what he had to create the vision of what he wanted to see. The Lego family needs a grill for the backyard or a new car, no problem! He would figure out a way to make a grill or a car from what he had.

Another fun creative time for my kids was using PVC pipe. Yes, you read that right, if you haven’t worked with it at all it is a really inexpensive item to have around the house for creativity, not just for plumbing. 😉 

One year we went to our science center and there was a space on the wall with a maze of PVC pipes. The kids could put a marble in at one point and follow it around to its final destination. My son loved the idea of building his own, so one Christmas my daughter bought him PVC pipes and some marbles. He loved it and would build structure upon structure to see how many different ways he could get the marbles to travel. He learned a lot about gravity and physics from this simple playtime. Creativity allows them to learn a lot of skills we force into curricula. 

It is helpful to have a cutting tool for the PVC pipe, so you can cut them into different sizes. We use the ratchet-type cutter. The PVC pipes we've purchased come from the hardware store in 10 foot pieces and different diameters. We usually get the 3/4 inch diameter and buy different types of connectors depending on what we plan to build.

We have used this PVC pipe and bought even more for so many activities we have done over the years. My current Nativity scene is built from it, and others have been in the past. We have built puppet show theaters, backdrops for plays, and a simple curtain for the kids to come out of when presenting their solo dramatic interpretations in high school. It’s an affordable way to build many structures.  It’s also easy to take apart and put back together if you are traveling somewhere with it or want to build something else.

Today, while away at college, my son is using his creativity in an entrepreneurial way as he considers different business ideas and creative ways to make money in this busy season. This way he can start a business today instead of waiting until after he graduates.

Leading a Drama Club

Your child might have fun leading a drama club. They could use their creative energy to think about who to invite, when they will meet and what activities they would like to do. They could plan out drama games to play or just lead friends in a drama game curriculum like Places Everyone! They could write and direct a play like my daughter did. 

They could also do mini skits every week or hold an improv night. Leadership requires creativity and thinking outside the box, so giving them the opportunity to lead a drama club or a special event could help them express the creative ideas they have been holding inside. 

Creativity Comes in all Shapes and Sizes

I believe everyone has a creative side. It just looks different for each person because it is based on their passions. I’ve seen amazing creativity out of writers, mathematicians when trying to solve a problem, engineers as they build for their robotics competition, kids competing in a mock trial, pilots as they design curriculum for training other pilots, dancers as they adlib when a prop falls on stage or someone doesn’t come out at the right time, and actors as they make a character their own or perform improv. Creativity is inside of all of us if we just give ourselves the time to think and to express it.

If you want to learn more about writing a play, check out all the blogs in How to Write a Play: 

1. Write a Playscript from a Fairy Tale

2. Write a Playscript from a Book

3. Write a Playscript from the Bible

4. Write a Playscript from Multiple Stories

5. Write an Abridged Playscript from a Full-Length Play

6. Write a Playscript about an Historical Event

7. Write a Playscript for a Radio Play

8. Write a Playscript with a Plot Twist to a Familiar Story

9. Write an Original Play

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Want to start with drama games for inspiration, then write a play? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered with Places Everyone! drama game fun for the whole semester. You can use this during the school year, in the summer or for fun activities all year long. Check it out today!

Thanks for joining us!

Danielle at homeschooldrama.com