Used in the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, the Unusual Uses Challenge stretches your creativity by having you think of as many uses as possible for an everyday object like a chair, coffee mug, tin can, or brick. Here’s a sample brainstorm for “paper clip” uses:
- Hold papers together
- Cufflinks
- Earrings
- Bag closure
- Christmas tree ornament hooks
- Bookmark
The test measures divergent thinking across four sub-categories:
- Fluency – how many uses you can come up with
- Originality – how uncommon those uses are (e.g. “ornament hook” is more uncommon than “holding papers together”)
- Flexibility – how many areas your answers cover (e.g. cufflinks and earrings are both accessories, aka one area)
- Elaboration – the amount of detail in your responses
I gave my nine-year-old daughter an empty tissue box and had her write a list of all the uses she could think of for that tissue box. Here is a list of what she came up with:
- Piggy Bank
- Dollhouse
- Shoe
- Hat
- Drum
- Toy guitar
- Train
- Garage for toy cars
- Hair ribbon holder
- Jewelry box
- Pencil case
This activity will stimulate your child’s creativity. Find any object around the house and give it a try.
For more fun with this activity, purchase our “Creative Mindflexors” set of cards, from our on-line store. They can be used anytime, anywhere to boost your child’s creativity. Just a few cards a day can make a difference. CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW:
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