By: April Brown
One of the most frequently asked questions from transitioning teachers is how to keep creativity alive when designing curriculum, consulting for educational companies, or starting a business that makes an impact. Luckily, there are some daily activities to boost creativity for teachers working outside the classroom.
There are endless possibilities and ways to reimagine education by sharing your talents with the world. But before you share your skills, you need a solid routine that fosters idea development.
Ready to incorporate more creativity boosters into your everyday life? Here are some tips to help you come up with your own creativity plan that nourishes your mind, body, and spirit.
Mind-Focused Activities to Boost Creativity for Teachers
As a teacher, your mind is one of your greatest assets. In the classroom, you navigated a plethora of questions while prepping for the next lesson and a walkthrough from administration.
When you transition to flexible jobs in education, you may be asked to:
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prepare an asynchronous professional development workshop on culturally responsive teaching practices.
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design math lessons for English Learners aligned to language development standards that incorporate best practices such as math language routines.
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onboard a team of education writers to an assessment project where they’ll use their knowledge of Bloom’s Taxonomy to create quiz questions aligned to a library of articles.
No matter what role you choose outside of the classroom or the project you’re working on, it’s important to stay sharp so you can get things done and put your best foot forward. Try one of these daily activities to boost creativity:
UTILIZE DIFFERENT BRAINSTORMING TOOLS.
Different brains need different things to effectively brainstorm. And there are so many ways to boost creativity and generate ideas! From rapid ideation to starbursting, online tools like Lucidchart or Whimsical can help you increase innovation. Alternatively, strategies like Crazy Eights work well with pen and paper or on a simple Google document.
FIND A THOUGHT PARTNER WHO INSPIRES YOU.
As teachers, we’re used to collaborating with a team of caregivers, learning specialists, support staff, and administration to meet the needs of our students. It’s no different when you transition to work in education beyond the classroom.
Sometimes, all that’s getting in the way of coming up with your next brilliant idea is not having someone to bounce ideas off. Finding the right online community or in-person relationships that light you up is a must to continue to stay invigorated on your journey. Make sure to schedule time for weekly check-ins and hangouts! This connection is one of the best activities to boost creativity!
STAY UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST RESEARCH.
There are so many organizations and online publications that deliver information and offerings related to children’s developmental milestones, teaching the whole child, and systemic transformation straight to your inbox. Some of our favorites include Greater Good in Education, Harvard’s Project Zero, PBS LearningMedia, and Education for Racial Equity. Add reading up on the latest research to your list of daily creativity exercises.
Body-Focused Activities to Boost Creativity for Teachers
While it may seem like tips to boost creativity would primarily be focused on the mind, we need to take care of our body if we want to tap into our creative reserves.
PRIORITIZE REST.
Research has shown that sleep deprivation leaves people vulnerable to attention lapses, reduced cognition, delayed reactions, and mood shifts. We all know how important sleep is to our wellbeing, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to obtain.
Instead of taking on too many projects, or pulling all-nighters to finish copyediting, seriously consider your capacity and set boundaries. Another tip is to create routines around screen time. Consider turning off your device an hour before bed and protecting your peace in the morning by partaking in grounding morning activities (e.g., sipping on tea or partaking in some mindfulness activities as a family) before logging into work.
SPEND TIME IN NATURE.
We’ve all had those days when we’re feeling super gloomy but stepping outside for a breath of fresh air or going for a brisk walk makes us feel so much better. Spending time in nature has proven benefits including reduced stress, better cognitive performance, and even feelings of calm and awe. When working from home, it’s important to schedule time to get outside, even in the winter months. It’s one of the best daily activities to boost creativity for teachers. Your body will thank you!
REMEMBER FOOD IS YOUR FUEL.
When you live where you work, it’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of eating mindlessly. Instead, prep meals ahead of time, including snacks, that help you stay energized throughout the day. Some of our favorite go-to snacks include carrots and hummus, fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, and almond butter and apples. Check out this article for more affordable and simple ideas – including foods that boost creativity!
Spirit-Focused Activities to Boost Creativity for Teachers
Still wondering how to boost your creativity? Don’t forget to focus on your spirit.
REGULATE YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM THROUGH DAILY BREATHING PRACTICES.
Daily stressors take their toll and alongside long-term stressors like the pandemic, they can wreak havoc on our bodies. Signs of a dysregulated nervous system include difficulty sleeping, stomachaches, unexplained body pains, and headaches.
Taking time to pause and breathe can restore control to the parasympathetic nervous system and let our brains know we are okay. Try to incorporate one of the following meditations to boost creativity into your daily routine this week:
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Calming Down with Ruth King
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Sacred Pause with Tara Brach
CREATE A CALMING, INSPIRING ENVIRONMENT.
Your workspace is likely where you’ll spend most of your day when working from home. Because of this, it’s important that it reflects your personality and provides you with what you need to optimize your work. Some tips to boost creativity in your workspace include choosing calming colors for items on and around your desk, making your education journey visible through photos, and incorporating plants to soothe and calm your nervous system. Prioritizing your environment will make you excited to “show up” for work each day.
USE AFFIRMATIONS, MANTRAS, AND SCRIPTS TO STEP INTO YOUR POWER.
We tell ourselves stories throughout the day, and sometimes the stories and thought patterns that go through our minds are frequent worries or self-sabotaging beliefs. Just like we exercise our bodies to gain strength, we can also exercise our minds. Affirmations can help us replace these negative thoughts without positive ones. We can literally create new neural pathways!
Check out these mindfulness affirmations and learn more about brain plasticity and the power of affirmations here. Reflect on how you might use affirmations or mantras to support your creativity and increase your confidence.
Get More Inspiration for Daily Activities to Boost Creativity
Need more ideas to boost daily creativity? One of the best things you can do is surround yourself with other creative, inspiring educators who are passionate about making an impact.
The best place to do that? In our Beyond the Classroom program and community! Discover flexible jobs in education and learn what it takes to work outside of the classroom.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
April Brown (M.Ed) is Educator Forever’s community facilitator and a curriculum coach for the Curriculum Development Foundations program. In 2015, April began designing curriculum and writing articles for an EdTech company as a side gig while she was teaching in Placencia, Belize. After having her daughter in 2016, April was eager to use her unique experience teaching and leading in mainstream and alternative settings in the United States and internationally to work remotely while still making a difference in education.
The Beyond the Classroom course empowered April to leverage her skills as a compassionate disruptor and out-of-the-box thinker to excel as an instructional/well-being coach, adjunct instructor of a Trauma Supportive Schools course, curriculum developer, and writer for publications such as PBS SoCal, Education.com, and Britannica for Parents. April is an advocate for teachers and students – inside and outside of the classroom. You can find April in rural Vermont spending time with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and charming rottweilers.
