Kindergarten Creative Thinking Activity

This Kindergarten creative thinking activity began as one idea and quickly turned into another. And that’s kind of the point, right? Let’s give our five and six-year-olds simple play prompts that spark creativity, problem-solving, and a growth mindset because the best ideas don’t come from us.

RELATED: These bears are among the top five supplies we use often. Check out my simple list of learning supplies for kids we couldn’t live without.

Table of Contents:

1. What’s going on with this idea
2. The magic of the bears
3. Setting up this kindergarten activity
4. Supplies
5. Let your child take the lead
6. FAQ

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What’s going on with this idea

I wanted to bring out our beloved counting bears and add a little growth mindset to our day. My idea was to connect the painter’s tape to make a bridge on which the bears would balance.

It turns out my idea was a bust. Just two bears were too heavy for the tape, and the bins on either side began to slide. Ugh, complete failure, right?

Wrong. Instead, my kindergartener saw the middle go down and rearranged the counting bears to form two slides at either end. BRILLIANT. Now that was just the problem-solving and creativity I was the indoor activities for preschoolers and big kids I was aiming for!

The magic of the bears

Look, I am going to give it to you straight. You need these bears. I don’t say this often, but head down to supplies and add them to your cart.

Sure, they are made for counting and sorting, but they always spark into imaginative play. I know I am just some lady on the internet that you may have encountered on a Google search, but trust me when I say your child will love them.

Even better is grasping each bear as your child plays help improve their fine motor strength.

Still not sure? Check out our other counting bear activities:

• Bear Caves Color Sort
• Bring the Bears Home sequencing activity
• Icy Winter Bears

Setting up this kindergarten activity

This activity takes less than three minutes to set up. Here is what I did.

1. Tape down the white paper.
2. Draw some water with a blue marker.
3. Grab two buckets.
4. Add tape from one side to the other.
5. Push down in the center.
6. Add counting bears on either side to slide into the water.

Make this tonight so your child can play first thing in the morning. I call these Breakfast Invitations and they are simple learning games for kids to play as you sip your coffee hot. Pure genius!

Supplies

Let’s set up this kindergarten creative thinking activity with a few simple supplies. Remember, play ideas for kids should be kept simple. You will reuse these supplies for many more ideas all over Days with Grey.

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Let your child take the lead

The best problem-solving activities have our hands off, making simple conversation about what we notice in our child testing.

My child decided that if the bears fell off the slide into the water, they would be eaten by sharks and lose a turn.

If the bears slid down the painter’s tape and stayed on it, they could return to the start and try again.

So much can happen when we set the stage for play. The trick is setting aside time to make it happen. This is one of the main reasons why I love Breakfast Invitations. They are a way to connect first thing and begin the day with play.

RELATED: Love reading with your kindergartener but unsure what to bring when you are a mystery reader? Here are my favorite read-aloud books for a kindergarten class when I head in.

FAQ