Originally published in TEACH Magazine, June 2026 Issue
By Jessica Migueis
What does it mean to be “smart”? Traditionally, schools have always valued students who fit the conventional model: those who think procedurally and arrive at the “right” answer. However, over the past seven years that I’ve spent in kindergarten classrooms, I have increasingly seen the benefit of supporting out-of-the-box thinking—something that comes naturally to my young students.
The classroom should be a space where students are encouraged to come up with new and unique ideas, explore multiple ways to solve problems, and embrace creativity so they can innovate and discover, rather than simply follow a prescribed path. Building an environment where these skills are practiced gives students an avenue to reduce stress, express their emotions, connect with others, find joy, and work towards goals in ways that are intrinsically motivating.
Despite the vibrancy of my classroom, creativity doesn’t just happen, it must be intentionally prioritized. This can look different for every teacher, but for me, it means creating a space where children are free to imagine. Together, we make art, tell stories, sing songs, and experiment—these are all play-based opportunities that support young learners as they make sense of the world around them.
However, cultivating a creative classroom isn’t limited to kindergarten. Although it can feel more challenging, especially for older grades, there are still plenty of ways to transform your space into one that values and encourages creativity. Here are eight practical strategies for doing so.
1. Brainstorm with Your Students
Brainstorming encourages fluidity in thinking by allowing students to share their ideas and build off those of their peers. Kindergarten students can create lists of suggestions for the next symbolic play centre transformation, for instance. Lower grades can learn to visually represent their ideas using mind maps, while upper grades can try free-writing as a brainstorming strategy.
2. Take a Transdisciplinary Approach
Creativity often takes a backseat because teachers are overwhelmed with curriculum targets and students’ diverse needs. But being creative is not separate from this. A transdisciplinary approach—that is, exploring curriculum concepts through creative projects—can be transformative.
For example, you can target a literacy skill by making a class alphabet book. This focuses on vocabulary and initial sounds, while also promoting flexible thinking skills and art exploration. Basic math concepts can be reviewed by designing a pizza parlor. Alternatively, try ditching the history test and challenge students to represent a historical scene through a piece of artwork or a 3D model instead.
3. Be Mindful of Your Words
What you say matters. Prioritize encouragement over compliments. Instead of telling your students that their work is nice, offer specific, motivating feedback (such as that you like the colours they used). This can also look like focusing on the student’s effort rather than their ability. For instance, tell your students that you noticed how hard they worked on their project, rather than telling them how smart they are to be able to complete it.
While compliments make students dependent on your judgment, encouragement hands the power over to them and increases their confidence. Better yet, if a student asks what you think of their work, flip the question back to them. This is an easy way to indicate that their opinion is what matters most.
4. Offer Open-Ended, Collaborative Projects
Proposing projects with broad objectives can ensure that students don’t feel limited in their creativity. Try keeping instructions minimal and offering options. For example, ditch the traditional book report and allow students to choose how they want to demonstrate their understanding in a way that they connect with—by preparing a presentation, making a mock interview with the characters, creating a painting, writing a summary, or filming a commercial, for example.
Tip: Offering students the chance to work in groups on these projects allows for the exchange of ideas before, during, and after the process to ensure the inclusion of different perspectives.
5. Prioritize Imaginative Play (For All Ages!)
Play isn’t only for our littlest learners, and it isn’t separate from learning. In fact, symbolic play is a vector for creativity. Students explore and invent situations that do not exist in their everyday lives, while real-world norms and roles take a backseat.
For younger students, this might look like traditional pretend play, whereas older students may be more interested in group improvisation games, board game design, and risky play. Keep in mind that older students are still kids, and all kids love to play.
6. Curate a Makerspace in Your Classroom
A makerspace is an area of your classroom reserved for creating. It contains a selection of diverse, versatile materials without instructions on how to use them, such as cardboard, rocks, and pipe cleaners, as well as tools like scissors, glue, paint, and different types of paper. Here, students can transform objects and explore the potential of different materials.
For younger students, this might look like a permanent centre that gets restocked. For older students, on the other hand, a makerspace is a great way to engage early finishers in productive, motivating, and meaningful work. It may give older students the chance to explore simple, real-world problems by focusing on the process rather than the product, such as working together to build a boat that can both float and carry weight.
7. Offer Inspiration, Not Models
At the start of any creative project, be sure to offer your students inspiration rather than models for them to copy and reproduce. While models limit creativity, inspiration helps students craft their own mental images that then guide their work. This can come from books, websites, classroom objects, and even nature. The more representations they see, the more diverse and imaginative their own ideas will be.
8. Organize a School-wide Creativity Festival
Once your students have had ample opportunities to explore and express their creativity, showcase it by organizing a school-wide creativity festival! This should be a way to share and celebrate their unique ideas with their peers, while also giving them the chance to act as trailblazers, encouraging others to develop their own imaginative skills too.
Assessing Student Creativity
Assessing creativity is different from assessing curriculum. In fact, the use of evaluation tools for these kinds of tasks can actually undermine the important work you put into prioritizing them in the first place. Instead, try to focus on guiding your students toward their full creative potential. The following questions can help with this:
- Is the student curious? Creative students ask lots of questions, make hypotheses, and challenge assumptions.
- Does the student persevere? Creative students don’t give up easily. They dare to be different.
- Does the student collaborate well? Creative students share their work and offer feedback to their peers.
- Is the student reflective? Creative students think critically and are willing to improve.
- Does the student imagine? Creative students play with possibilities and make connections in their learning. They have unique ideas to offer.
While your evaluation is important, it is, arguably, even more pertinent for students to make these assessments for themselves. Consider making a student-friendly version of this list and attaching it to various projects, encouraging students to evaluate their own development. After all, creativity isn’t about what the adult thinks, but about what the students experience!
Creativity is not innate—it is a cognitive skill that all students can develop with time and the right opportunities. While cultivating a creative classroom may seem intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. With a blend of hands-on learning, collaboration, and genuine curiosity, any classroom can become a space where imagination and innovation can flourish. This not only deepens student engagement, but also helps leaners build confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning.
Jessica Migueis is a passionate kindergarten teacher with seven years of experience teaching French as a second language in Montreal. She is dedicated to supporting the global development of young children through play-based, early learning pedagogy in inclusive environments to ensure a positive and supportive first school transition.
