Out of the Box Thinking and Drawing

Did you ever read a "choose your own adventure book"?

I loved these as a child. Make a decision and jump to a certain page number. Find out the consequences. Re-read the book and make some different choices. 

Life is a "choose your own adventure book" at times. We face a series of problems.  Decisions. Options. Consequences.

For our children, they can't always see the options. They may have trouble thinking from different perspectives, understanding another point of view or making adaptions.

Being flexible is hard. Letting go of plans. Letting go of expectations. Advocating for yourself. Making a decision and then going back to fix mistakes or try a different option. Asking for help can be hard too. 

Flexible thinking, also known as cognitive flexibility, is the ability to shift one's thinking and adapt to changes, new information, and unexpected situations. It involves being able to consider problems from different perspectives, explore multiple solutions, and adjust plans or strategies based on the situation. Flexible thinking is an important part of self regulation. 

As children mature, they begin their journey to being flexible to some things but also holding onto the things (or people, interests or beliefs) that they value. They (rightly so) want many things to go their way as they want to feel safe, connected, successful.  Our role as parents, teachers, OTs ... is to help children to co-regulate.  We can help them with empathy, support and (when they are ready) ways to solve their problems. 
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We have been working on "out of the box thinking" using drawing in our OT sessions.  Using the printable that I have created, I present partial drawings with the challenge to think about an alternative to what has been presented.  Many of my kids love it and we can start lots of conversations about looking at things from a different perspective, being creative, trying to be flexible!

​Have a go! Download, take a screenshot or photo of the following image.  What could you draw? 

The "Out of the Box Thinking and Drawing" Printable contains over 100 fun drawing prompts for all ages! Encourage and challenge creative thinking and drawing by looking beyond the partial image presented. The visual prompts cover a range of themes (and various levels of difficulty) from shapes, fruit, toys ... however, the challenge is to change these prompts into something new. Easier prompts are provided asking the drawer to create something from the body parts presented (eg. eyes, mouth, etc). Prompts are presented four to a page.

Out of the Box Thinking and Drawing Printable

TPT Store Listing

This printable is fun for the whole family or whole classroom!  You can repeat the same images and come up with new drawings.  You can compare what everyone has drawn to see how creative you all really are! 

I would love to see what you create! Tag Your Kids OT on social media or send me an email [email protected].

Until next time,​

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a contributing author of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
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