I probably used fewer teacher worksheets in my 30+ years of teaching than most teachers. I always felt that the best work, especially for young children, was done on a blank page rather than on a template.
And I was biased against coloring in sheets by my training which included perspectives from some of the pioneers in early childhood education as well as my (outside the university curriculum) reading of Rudolf Steiner’s work.
Brainstorming was a regular activity in my classroom, even with 5 to 7 year olds. It never ceased to amaze me how they could come out with such ideas and insights. Often you’d also get an insight into their family values and conversations too!
This teacher worksheet is borrowed directly from the School of Thinking which provides a comprehensive, free course in lateral thinking via email and web feedback. You’ll laugh at the simplicity of the format but give it a try. This is a tool for generating better ideas and I’ve used it effectively with classes from grade one to six, as well as for my own purposes.
It is becoming increasingly important for us to
think outside the square and to teach our children to. Actually,
children naturally think and perceive in a multi-dimensional way and
it’s our societies that put them in a box in the first few years of
life.