Enhancing Enrichment

Are your students stuck staring at a blank page when it’s time to start a project? Do they struggle to come up with fresh ideas for writing, inventions, or creative assignments? Look no further than the SCAMPER technique for creative and divergent thinking.

What is SCAMPER?

The SCAMPER technique is a creative thinking and problem-solving tool that helps generate new ideas or improve existing ones. It prompts you to think in different ways. It’s especially useful for brainstorming, innovation, and product development.

The technique was developed by Bob Eberle in the early 1970s and published in his book SCAMPER: Games and Activities for Imagination Development (affiliate link) in 1971. He used Alex Osborn’s ideas for brainstorming and creative problem-solving. Eberle created SCAMPER as an acronym to help others remember Osborn’s general categories of idea manipulation

The SCAMPER technique is flexible and encourages divergent thinking. In the classroom, you can use SCAMPER to generate new game ideas, improve classroom routines, design projects, and solve creative challenges.

How Does It Work?

SCAMPER is a fun way to get creative ideas! It helps you come up with new things or make old things better by asking different kinds of questions.

S – Substitute

S is for substitute. This means you think about switching one thing for something else. For example, if you’re making a poster, you might substitute regular markers with neon paint to make it stand out more. You can substitute materials or steps in a process to see what new ideas come up.

• What can be replaced with something else?
• What else could I use instead?
• Can I change a material or part?

C – Combine

Combine is when you add things together. Peanut butter and jelly are an example of a combination. Could you combine a pencil with a pencil sharpener all in one object? What else would be better if it was joined together?

• What can be joined together?
• Can I combine two ideas or objects?

A – Adapt or Add

The original A in this method is adapt, but this is the hardest for younger students, so sometimes it is changed to “add” for elementary students. Adapt involves changing things to make them different. If your favorite board game uses cards, but you lost them, could you use dice instead?

• What can be changed?
• What could be added?
• What else is like this?
• Can I change something to fit better or work better?

M – Modify (Minimize or Maximize)

Modify means to change the size, shape, color, or strength of something. You could magnify it (make it bigger) or minimize it (make it smaller). Imagine making a giant eraser so it lasts much longer. You could also make something simpler, softer, louder, or more colorful, depending on your goal.

• What could be made bigger?
• What could be made smaller?
• Can I change how it looks or feels?

P – Put to Another Use

Put to another use means taking something and using it in a totally different way than it was meant to be used. For example, what if you used a muffin tin to organize your art supplies? That’s putting something to another use! You might also think about how old or broken things could become part of a new invention or project.

• What can be used for something else?
• Can the object be used in a new way?

E – Eliminate

Eliminate means to take something away. Sometimes, removing parts of an idea makes it better or easier to use. Maybe your board game has too many rules, and it’s not fun to play, so you eliminate some steps to make it simpler. You can also eliminate extra parts, decorations, or features that aren’t really needed.

• What can be removed?
• Is there something that isn’t needed?

R – Reverse or Rearrange

Reversing means turning something around, flipping it, or doing it in a different order. You can ask, “What if we did the opposite?” or “What happens if I rearrange these parts?” For example, what if you wrote a story that started with the ending and worked backward? Or what if the playground slide went up instead of down? Reversing helps you look at your ideas in totally new ways.

• Can the order or direction be changed?
• What happens if I flip this around?
• Can I reverse the order or roles?

Using the SCAMPER Technique

My original item was a chocolate chip cookie. I could substitute the chocolate chips for jelly beans. I could combine several cookies to make a new shape. I could adapt the recipe to a sugar cookie base, which holds shape better and works well with frosting. I could modify two of the cookies to make them smaller. I could put it to another use by making it a decoration instead of just a cookie. I could eliminate the brown sugar from the original recipe to get a recipe with just white sugar. I could reverse the order of the ingredients by mixing the dry ingredients before the wet ingredients.

Using With Students

Introduce students to SCAMPER by introducing each letter of the technique. You can use individual posters of each letter on a bulletin board display to help reinforce creative habits and keep inspiration front and center in your classroom.

Then let students practice the SCAMPER strategy with familiar objects and scenarios. It is great to start with a whole-group prompt. Bring in a object, such as the cookie, or display an image. Have students brainstorm all the ways the items can be changed with the SCAMPER method. Once students get the idea, give them their own item to SCAMPER and then share ideas.

Once students are great at the method, let them take the lead! Use an open-ended template to encourage independent thinking as students choose their own topics. Students can cut out images from magazines and SCAMPER them. They can also use the technique to help plan their invention projects, story starters, or problem-solving prompts. This activity is a great starter for the Create Your Own Invention, Design and Create a Board Game, and Passion Project Interactive Notebook activities.

The SCAMPER technique is a simple yet powerful way to boost creativity and help students think outside the box. By guiding them to Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to Another Use, Eliminate, and Reverse, you’re giving them the tools to explore new ideas and improve existing ones. Whether they’re designing inventions, writing stories, or reimagining everyday objects, SCAMPER encourages flexible thinking and builds confidence in creative problem-solving. Once students get the hang of it, you’ll be amazed at the imaginative ideas they come up with!