Looking for a way to turn the winter blahs into a vibrant celebration of every child’s creativity? Crayola Creativity Week 2023, which starts on January 23, is exactly what you are looking for! But you don’t need to wait until the 23rd to get started. Visit the Crayola Creativity Week website for resources, activities, and giveaways––all available with a free registration––as well as to see the calendar of events and list of celebrity creators who are part of the 2023 Crayola Creativity Week lineup.
Crayola Creativity Week is about more than just free stuff to use in your classroom. It’s a seven-day celebration of children’s innate creative mind-sets. With activities and events geared toward a specific daily theme and a livestreamed special assembly on Friday, January 27, Crayola Creativity Week provides everything both educators and children’s families and caregivers need to keep students engaged and innovating all week long! Each day focuses on a creative theme and a special children’s book, and includes unique celebrity-led video activities, curriculum-connected resources, and all kinds of activities to unleash every child’s original ideas.
Let’s take a look at what’s in store for your students.
Here’s the lineup!
- Monday, January 23: Endless Possibilities
Crayola Creativity Week launches with guest appearances from NASA space explorers, who are part of the team making the Artemis mission possible, and illustrator, Shane Tolentino. NASA astronauts will read the book You Are Going, and Tolentino will lead an art activity. Students will be captivated by the awesome possibilities of a STEAM career at NASA.
- Tuesday, January 24: Building Dreams and Community
Actress and singer Ali Stroker––who was the first wheelchair-using actor to appear on Broadway and win a Tony––and illustrator Gillian Reid share they spotlight on Tuesday as the share their book Ali and the Sea Stars and inspire students to put on a play, illustrate dramatic facial expressions, and reach for stars. Their special message? Go after your dreams with the help of a supportive community.
- Wednesday, January 25: Dancing with Traditions
Author Ria Thundercloud and illustrator Kalila Fuller get the day moving with their book Finding My Dance. Thundercloud's story will inspire young creatives to connect culture, identity, and self-expression. Fuller will show learners how to draw and illustrate nature-inspired patterns and dance poses. It’s art. It’s music and dance. It’s creativity in motion.
- Thursday, January 26: Language and Laughter
Giggles and guffaws are center stage with comedian and Impractical Jokers star James “Murr” Murray and comedy writer Carsen Smith. Laughter is the main course of the day as these two celebrity creators share their book Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer. Students will get the inside story on creating illustrated idioms and collaborating to create improv art.
- Friday, January 27: Keys to Kindness
Cast members from the new movie musical Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile will read the book that inspired the film: The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber. Winslow Fegley, the 13-year-old actor and artist who stars as Josh Primm in the film, will make a special appearance to encourage children to embrace change by cooking up creative solutions and illustrating the keys to kindness that can lead us to unexpected and wondrous friendships.
- Friday, January 27: Crayola Creativity Week Livestreamed Assembly Event
For kids, teachers, families, and everyone around the world who loves to create, this livestreamed event is headlined by special messages from Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion figure skater Nathan Chen and 13-year-old actress Lyric Hurd who plays Trudy in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. And to keep the creative momentum moving, this event includes the premiere of the new dance along from KIDZ BOP.
- Saturday, January 28: Self-Confidence and Student Voice
Have fun with the whole family as Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, cofounder of the legendary hip-hop group Run DMC, will inspire kids to use their voices to build confidence and express themselves. Illustrator Tristan Tait will lead a draw-along for kids of all ages, creating doodles to help us learn to express our best selves.
- Sunday, January 29: Weathering Emotions
TODAY Show cohost and meteorologist Dylan Dreyer and illustrator Rosie Butcher share their book Misty the Cloud. Kids will learn about words that can describe both the weather and human emotions such as sunny, stormy, turbulent, and calm. Art activities are part of the day’s forecast as the whole family creates cloud characters based on science and use layered art materials to create a weather scene.
Participation is free, flexible, and filled with fun!
Teachers, librarians, and families can access complete details and register online at www.crayola.com/creativityweek. Last year, for the inaugural Creativity Week celebration, more than 12,500 schools, classrooms, libraries, and homes participated in the inaugural 2022 Crayola Creativity Week , reaching more than 2 million students and 115,000 educators in all 50 U.S. states and 26 countries around the world. Educators’ experiences are exemplified by these quotes: “Students enjoyed expressing their ideas through illustration! The power of the imagination is priceless!” and “Wow! My students really understood yesterday’s challenge. It seems we may have some future authors and illustrators in our class!” We hope you will join and enjoy the festive fun in 2023 and make this year even better!
To help educators plan their own Creativity Week celebration and activities, Crayola has made curriculum-aligned activities, video resources, and standards alignments available on the Creativity Week website. Detailed FAQs can help answer any questions participating educators may have and help secure buy-in from administrators and school or district leaders. Participate every day or just tune in on select days for specific themes––whatever works best for your students and schedules.
Share your own and your students’ experiences and activities––and follow along to see what other classes are doing––by using the hashtag #crayolacreativityweek on social media. Artwork and projects created by students in grades pre-K–12 and shared along with the #crayolacreativityweek tag might end up on Crayola’s Student Gallery!
Use Creativity Week to turn the last week of January into a celebration of reading, writing, drawing, dancing, dreaming, singing, and acting. Let students explore new career connections, new ways to innovate, and new ways to express and receive real kindness. It’s a colorful way to encourage every child’s aspirations, curiosity, and ability to solve problems. And that’s how beautiful possibilities begin.
Let’s get creative!