Resources include free activities for children and giveaways for schools

Educators and librarians who are looking for ways to encourage creativity among their students can find a treasure trove of free resources and activities as part of Crayola’s third annual Creativity Week, scheduled for Jan. 22-28, 2024.

Intended to celebrate creativity and the joy it brings to teaching and learning any subject, Crayola Creativity Week is a free program for schools, libraries, and homes around the world. Crayola has partnered with famous artists, actors, authors, musicians, scientists, and athletes to bring educational content, giveaways, and virtual events to children everywhere.

“The core essence of our brand is creativity,” says Cheri Sterman, director of Crayola’s education division. “Through Creativity Week, we’re partnering with educators and librarians to help develop children’s creativity across all modes of expression.”

This is an important goal, Sterman says, especially in a rapidly changing world in which the ability to adapt, innovate, and solve problems is highly valued among employers.

“Children who engage in a lot of creative experiences when they’re young are better positioned for lifelong success,” she notes. “Research shows they have stronger educational attainment and are more likely to pursue careers instead of jobs, and to have higher job satisfaction regardless of their work, because they develop  a life-long creative mindset.”

What the program entails

Crayola Creativity Week includes hands-on daily activities and video events involving what Sterman calls “an amazing lineup” of celebrity creators reading books aloud and then doing artwork inspired by the story. For instance, musician Ziggy Marley will be reading the picture book he wrote, Music is in Everything, and an extension activity will prompt students to draw their own percussion patterns and the sounds of nature. The events culminate in a live streaming event for schools around the globe to tune into together on Friday, Jan. 26, at 1pm ET.

Other celebrities involved in this year’s Creativity Week include Trinity Bliss, a 14-year-old actress featured in the movie Avatar: The Way of Water; child star and actress Mia Armstrong, who explains that having Down syndrome is her “super power”; actress Elizabeth Olsen, known for her role as Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch) in the Avengers movies; ballet dancer Misty Copeland; journalist Eva Chen; Diary of a Wimpy Kid author-illustrator Jeff Kinney; Shark Tank star Daymond John; and Top Chef finalist Eric Adjepong.

The theme of this year’s Crayola Creativity Week, as voted by educators, is “Creativity Connects Us.” Each day’s guest shares their personal story connected to this theme; for instance, Copeland talks about how ballet is her way of connecting to people all over the world.

Registration is free, and once teachers and librarians register, they can access all of the video and downloadable activities, including special planning guides that include essential questions and learning objectives.

The activities, which are all aligned with various content standards, including the AASL National School Library Standards, are designed to be completed during a single class period with minimal prep time, and they include multiple versions aimed at different age groups. No special materials are needed to complete the less than 30-minute activities; instead, students and educators can use whatever materials and supplies they have on hand.

All of the resources, including the live-streamed Virtual Assembly, will be available for viewing any time on demand, so educators can share them with students in class, during library periods, or during their own school-wide celebrations of creativity.

Resources for schools as well as educators

Everyone who signs up to participate in Crayola Creativity Week is automatically entered to win Crayola products and other educational prizes for their school or library. Winners are randomly selected and contacted via the email address they used to sign up with.

Participating educators and their schools can also earn extra chances to win special prizes from Creativity Week sponsors by posting students’ artwork and updates about their activities on social media using #CrayolaCreativityWeek (or emailing them to education@crayola.com).

Every educator who posts or shares photos is eligible to win prizes as part of these daily giveaways, such as Crayola art supplies, books, tech, and even creative space and faculty lounge makeovers for schools!

During the first year of Crayola Creativity Week, more than 12,000 schools and two million students participated worldwide. Last year, nearly 29,000 schools and 3.5 million students took part. This year’s goal is to have at least five million kids from 77 different countries participate, Sterman says.

School librarians are well represented among the program’s registrants. “Creativity is about bringing imagination to life,” Sterman notes. “That really resonates with school librarians, because so much of it happens in a library setting.”

She concludes: “Every child is creative. It’s our role to help nurture that creativity so they can reach their full potential.”

Crayola Creativity Week Featured Books and Authors

• Mon, Jan. 22: Sankofa: A Culinary Story of Resilience and Belonging by Eric Adjepon
• Tue, Jan. 23: Firebird by Misty Copeland
• Wed, Jan. 24: Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer by Laura Gehl
• Thu, Jan. 25: I Am a Masterpiece by Mia Armstrong
• Fri, Jan. 26: The Story of You by Lisa Ann Scott
• Sat, Jan. 27: Music is in Everything by Ziggy Marley
• Sun, Jan. 28: I Am Golden by Eva Chen

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