By: Ron Brooks
According to dictionary.com, the definition of creativity is: the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and tocreate meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.
A second meaning is: characterized by originality of thought; having or showing imagination:
Some define creativity as thinking outside of the box. But what is the box? I find creativity comes by putting thought into my presentation. It is about taking the time to think through my objective.
One challenge is to keep the creativity coming. How do you stay creative week after week? It helps me to sit down and think/plan. When you need to be creative, just think OINK.
#1. Objective
This is the stage when you find out what you want to accomplish, not how you will do it. That will come later. When you have the end in sight, it is easier to plan the route to get there.
What do you want the kids to take away from the lesson? The series? The camp? From whatever you are doing?
#2. Ideas
Once I know where I want to end up, I can start planning how to get there. I actually write down everything I can think of. This is the stage that there really isn’t a bad idea. You are just brainstorming, you can narrow and filter later.
What passages will you use?
Puppets?
Characters?
Skits?
Object lessons?
A game?
#3 Narrow
In this stage you take a look at your ideas and start to pick through what you will use and not use. You will realize that some ideas really won’t work well with your overall focus. Other ideas will jump off the page as great to help you achieve your objective. I usually do this stage at a later time, even a different day.
#4 Kreate (had to fit in the acrostic)
Take the ideas that you think will work and begin to write and develop with your main objective in mind.
Maybe you will write a skit to make a point.
Maybe a costumed character will do an object lesson.
Maybe a puppet will answer questions about the lesson.
Maybe you find a video clip to illustrate a main point.
You get the idea.
While this is not the only way to help your creativity, it has helped me. It also helps to have another person or a team that you can bounce ideas off of. There is something very synergistic about creativity in a team setting. One idea leads to another to another, and before you know it you have a very awesome idea going, and the better thing is you have other people involved in the process who are more likely to take ownership.
Hopefully you have read something that has inspired your creative juices. I’d love to hear about some of the creative things you have done or plan to do. Post a comment and let me know.
Participate in the discussion about creativity in our forum.
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About the Author: Ron loves God, his wife and his daughter. He has over 13 years kids ministry experience including teaching, volunteering and full time children’s pastor. He has spent over 20 weeks in 5 different countries doing children’s ministry mission work. He enjoys coffee, white and dark chocolate, and often watches the Sci-Fi channel and I Love Lucy reruns.
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