Visual arts will provide a sixth grade student with a tangible outlet for creative thought. Encourage students to express their feelings and ideas on paper or canvas. Provide art supplies and ask the students to draw or paint a picture of their future life including representations of a spouse, home or occupation. Or consider asking students to cut pictures from a magazine to create a collage that is a visual description of their summer vacations. Other projects include sculpting clay into an image that represents a favorite song or book character.
The written word is a powerful creative outlet that sixth grade students can use to express their thoughts, ideas, joys and sometimes, fears. Encourage students to keep a daily journal of their thoughts and feelings. Daily writing practice will help students write more effectively. Ask students to write an essay describing an alien town and its people or describing the everyday life of a sixth-grade student in a fictitious country.
Engage sixth-grade students in creative movement activities to encourage expression and physcial fitness. A class of sixth-grade students can learn a new dance, such as how to waltz or square dance. Or an individual student can create his own dance. Provide a piece of music for the class and ask each student to choregraph a dance that interprets the music. Other creative movement includes jazz, ballet and tape dances.
Consider other creative outlets for sixth-grade students, such as music. Teach students how to play a musical instrument such as the piano or guitar for a creative outlet. Or consider encouraging students to write the lyrics or compose music to an original song. Other creative activities include assigning craft type projects along with other lessons. For instance, a teacher can ask students to make a clay model of an ear or a papier-mache volcano to enhance a science lesson.