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Renzulli Games · Creativity Development · Renzulli Learning

Renzulli Games: Research-Based Creativity Development That Students Actually Enjoy

Creativity isn’t a gift you either have or don’t. It’s a skill you develop. Renzulli Games are gamified creativity development activities based on Dr. Joseph Renzulli’s New Directions in Creativity program — over 50 years of research on building creative thinking abilities in K-12 students. Assess creativity with the CTC, then develop it with Renzulli Games.

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4
Creativity skills: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, Elaboration
50+
Years of research behind the program
65th→86th
Creativity percentile gain (Italy SEM study)
Pre-K–12
Available in Spanish & English
What are Renzulli Games?

Gamified Creativity Training Based on 50+ Years of Research

Quick answer Renzulli Games are the gamified digital versions of Dr. Joseph Renzulli’s New Directions in Creativity program (Creative Learning Press). The program develops four specific creative thinking abilities — fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration — through engaging activities that teach students to break away from conventional thinking and let their minds “flow across a broad range of ideas and possible solutions.” Research shows that creative thinking can be improved through systematic learning experiences that foster the use of imagination. Renzulli Games make that development fun, measurable, and accessible to every student.

Most classrooms emphasize convergent thinking — zeroing in on the “right” answer as quickly as possible. Renzulli Games develop the opposite: divergent thinking — what Dr. Renzulli calls the “floodlight mind” that reaches outward without limitations, generating multiple possibilities, unique combinations, and original solutions. Both types of thinking are valuable, and pursuing one at the expense of the other shortchanges students.

The games are designed to broaden the way students look at their world. They are not an end in themselves, but a series of engaging first steps that build the basic skills involved in creative production — skills that then transfer to every content area, every project, and every problem students encounter.

The four creativity skills

What Renzulli Games Develop

Every Renzulli Game is designed to promote one or more of these four creative thinking abilities, identified by research as the core components of creative production:

Fluency

The ability to generate a ready flow of ideas, possibilities, consequences, and objects. Students practice producing many responses — quantity before quality — building the raw material from which original ideas emerge.

Flexibility

The ability to use many different approaches or strategies in solving a problem. Students practice shifting perspectives, changing direction, and modifying given information — breaking free from fixed thinking patterns.

Originality

The ability to produce clever, unique, and unusual responses. Students practice generating ideas that are different from everyone else’s — the skill most closely associated with creative breakthroughs.

Elaboration

The ability to expand, develop, particularize, and embellish ideas, stories, and illustrations. Students practice taking a seed idea and building it out into something rich, detailed, and complete.

The Guilford foundation: These four skills are based on J.P. Guilford’s Structure of Intellect model, which identifies divergent production as a distinct and trainable cognitive ability. Guilford’s research showed that creativity is not a mysterious gift — it’s a set of cognitive operations that can be systematically developed. Dr. Renzulli’s New Directions in Creativity program translated this research into practical classroom activities — and Renzulli Games bring them to life digitally.
Assess → Develop → Measure growth

The Creativity Loop: CTC + Renzulli Games

No other platform has both a patented creativity assessment AND a research-based creativity development program from the same researcher. Renzulli Learning closes the loop:

1. Assess

Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC)
Measure baseline creativity

→

2. Develop

Renzulli Games
Build fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration

→

3. Measure

Re-administer CTC
Document creativity growth

Teachers administer the CTC to establish each student’s baseline creativity score. Students then engage with Renzulli Games to develop their creative thinking abilities. The CTC is re-administered to measure growth — giving teachers, administrators, and parents concrete evidence that creativity development is happening. This is the assess-then-develop loop that Portrait of a Graduate frameworks demand but few platforms can deliver.

In the classroom

How Teachers Use Renzulli Games

Early finisher activities — students who complete work early engage with creativity games instead of busywork. Every extra minute builds creative thinking skills.
Morning warm-ups — start the day with a quick creativity challenge that gets students thinking divergently before content instruction begins.
Dedicated creativity training sessions — use Renzulli Games as a structured creativity development program, building each skill systematically over time.
Enrichment center rotations — add a creativity station to your classroom rotation using Renzulli Games on tablets or Chromebooks.
Project idea springboards — students discover interests and ideas through the games that lead to full Project-Based Learning investigations through the PBL module.
Available in Spanish and English — Renzulli Games work within ELLA for emergent bilinguals and dual language programs. Creativity development doesn’t require English proficiency.
Try them yourself

Sample Renzulli Games

Here are a few examples of the hundreds of research-based creativity games available in Renzulli Learning. Each game promotes one or more of the four creativity domains — fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration:

Renzulli Games — Thinking About Things creativity activity

Thinking About Things

When you visit a library, have you ever noticed that all books of a certain type are grouped together? In this activity, see how many things you can think of that have the same characteristics. Develops: Fluency, Flexibility

Renzulli Games — Alternate Uses creativity activity

Alternate Uses

For each object, list as many interesting and unusual uses as you can. Let your mind wander and try to think of uses that no one else has ever thought of — even if they seem silly or impractical. Develops: Fluency, Originality

Renzulli Games — Feelings drawing activity

Feelings

Draw the following prompt: What things make you happy? Students express emotions through visual creativity — no “right answer” required. Develops: Elaboration, Originality

Renzulli Games — Word Boxes puzzle activity

Word Boxes

Complete the Word Boxes by thinking of words that fit in the spaces provided. A puzzle that stretches vocabulary while building flexible thinking. Develops: Flexibility, Fluency

Renzulli Games — Let's Write a Slogan activity

Let’s Write a Slogan

Create three slogans for different types of businesses. Make them short, interesting, and memorable. You can make up names or use real businesses in your community. Develops: Originality, Elaboration

These are just a few examples. Hundreds of Renzulli Games are available within the platform — all research-based, all designed to develop creativity through engaging, gamified activities.

Why creativity matters

Why Should Schools Invest in Creativity Development?

Almost all children have the potential to think more creatively — research demonstrates that creative production can be improved by providing learning experiences that foster the use of imagination. Creativity is not a fixed trait — it’s a skill that grows with practice.
Creativity makes learning more engaging and enjoyable — teaching creative thinking skills enables students to be enthusiastic about learning, increasing engagement and reducing behavior issues rooted in boredom.
Creativity develops higher-level thinking skills — creative thinking enables the development of critical thinking, executive function, and higher-level cognitive skills that prepare students for future degrees and careers.
Creative thinking reduces underachievement — creative opportunities result in the development of positive social and emotional learning, a passion for learning, and have been shown to reverse underachievement in 82% of cases (Baum, Renzulli & Hébert, 1995).
Employers rank creativity as a top priority — the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report found that 73% of organizations rank creative thinking as a top priority. In an AI-accelerated world, creativity is the durable skill that sets humans apart.
Research foundation

The Research Behind Renzulli Games

Renzulli, J. S. — New Directions in Creativity (Creative Learning Press) The original research-based creativity training program — five volumes (Mark A, Mark B, Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark 3) developing fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Used in thousands of classrooms for over 50 years. Built on Guilford’s Structure of Intellect model. Renzulli Games are the gamified digital versions of these activities.
Italy SEM Study (3 years) Students in the Renzulli Learning/SEM group increased their overall creativity from the 65th percentile to the 86th percentile. The creativity development approach used in this study is the same approach delivered through Renzulli Games. Read the study.
de Souza Fleith, Renzulli & Westberg (2002) Creativity training was equally effective in monolingual and bilingual classrooms — divergent thinking improved significantly in both settings. Creativity Research Journal, 14(3–4), 373–386.
US Patent 12,087,176 Renzulli Learning was awarded a US Patent for its Method and System for Creativity and Learning Evaluation and Enhancement — covering both the Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) and the Renzulli Learning platform for creativity assessment and development. Read more.
“In children creativity is a universal. Among adults it is almost nonexistent. The great question is: What has happened to this enormous and universal human resource?”
Harold H. Anderson — Creativity and Its Cultivation (1959), quoted by Dr. Renzulli in New Directions in Creativity
Frequently asked questions

Renzulli Games: Common Questions

Renzulli Games are gamified creativity development activities within the Renzulli Learning platform. They are based on Dr. Joseph Renzulli’s New Directions in Creativity program — over 50 years of research on developing creative thinking abilities in K-12 students. The games develop four specific skills: fluency (generating many ideas), flexibility (using different approaches), originality (producing unique responses), and elaboration (expanding ideas). They are available in both Spanish and English.
Four specific creative thinking abilities: (1) Fluency — generating a ready flow of ideas, possibilities, and solutions; (2) Flexibility — using many different approaches and willingness to change direction; (3) Originality — producing clever, unique, and unusual responses; (4) Elaboration — expanding, developing, and embellishing ideas, stories, and illustrations.
The CTC measures each student’s baseline creativity. Renzulli Games then develop those exact skills. Teachers can re-administer the CTC to measure growth. This assess-then-develop loop is unique to Renzulli Learning: no other platform has both a patented creativity assessment (US Patent 12,087,176) AND a research-based creativity development program from the same researcher.
Dr. Joseph Renzulli’s New Directions in Creativity program (Creative Learning Press), used for over 50 years. Built on J.P. Guilford’s Structure of Intellect model, which identifies divergent production as a distinct and trainable cognitive ability. A three-year SEM study in Italy found students increased overall creativity from the 65th to the 86th percentile.
Yes. Renzulli Games are available in both Spanish and English, making them accessible to emergent bilinguals and dual language program students through ELLA — The Renzulli Learning English Language Learning Accelerator.
Renzulli Games work as early finisher activities, morning warm-ups, creativity challenges, enrichment center rotations, or dedicated creativity training sessions. Teachers can assign specific games, and students may discover project ideas that lead to full Project-Based Learning investigations. The games complement and extend the regular curriculum.
Explore the platform

See How Renzulli Games Fit Into the Platform

Cebeci Test of Creativity (CTC) Platform Overview Renzulli Profiler Renzulli Enrichment Database Project-Based Learning 21st Century & Durable Skills Personal Success Plan

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