10.6: Promoting Creativity with Preschoolers

Learning Objectives

1. Describe how creativity can be supported in preschoolers.
2. Identify strategies for fostering creativity in preschoolers.

Preschool children often have a natural fascination with the process of creating visual art. Making marks, squishing clay, and using a brush to apply color are activities that most young children find appealing. In groups where children speak multiple languages and may not share common vocabulary, visual art can create connections and serve as a means of communication. Art can become a way for people to connect across cultures to their common humanity; an appreciation for it may begin in preschool. Inviting families into the environment to share works of art from their homes is an opportunity to build a bridge to the home (Paris et al., 2021).

Young children are naturally creative. The visual art framework is designed to encourage creativity; open-ended projects emphasize the process of working with visual materials. In other words, the curriculum is not focused on encouraging a child to produce a specific painting, but rather to practice using a brush on paper without a predetermined outcome (Paris et al., 2021).

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). This child is painting at the easel. Image by The California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 2 by the California Department of Education is used with permission.

Visual Arts

One effective way to support creativity in the visual arts is to provide a variety of materials without specific instructions. This approach encourages children to use their imagination and come up with their own ideas. For example, offering items like clay, buttons, fabric scraps, and natural materials like leaves and twigs can inspire children to create unique art pieces. Activities such as drawing, painting, and sculpting enable children to explore various materials, textures, and colors, thereby developing their fine motor skills and spatial awareness.

Professionals can support children’s development of the visual arts foundations with the following (Paris et. al, 2019):

• Encourage engagement with art at all levels.
• Support exploration and discovery.
• Give children the time and space they need to explore their creativity.
• Provide a comfortable environment that allows children to practice art.
• Provide opportunities for children to reflect on their own work.
• Respect individual developmental, cultural, and linguistic differences, and encourage children to do the same.
• Provide children simply with a means and place to make marks (e.g., a crayon and paper), and they will begin with the same basic images.
• Encourage communication around shape and form to aid children’s drawing skills.
• Help children acquire painting skills through practice with the tools.
• Stimulate children’s interest in color and the application of paint through other forms of painting.
• Create opportunities for children to work with dough, clay, or wet sand.
• Provide only the malleable material, without tools, during children’s initial explorations of sculpting so that children have a chance to explore through touch.
• Communicate with a group of linguistically and culturally diverse children through sculpture techniques by using nonverbal methods.
• Introduce tools after observing that children have had numerous hands-on opportunities to explore clay and dough sculpture.

Additionally, integrating discussions about famous artworks or artists into the curriculum can inspire children. Asking questions like, "How do you think the artist created this?" or "What do you think this painting is about?" encourages children to think critically and creatively about art (Edwards et al., 2011).

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\). Art activity set up for children to paint the real-life sunflowers similar to how Van Gogh painted his. Image by Heather Carter is licensed CC BY-NC-ND.

Music and Movement

To support creativity in music and movement, educators can create an environment that encourages children to experiment with sounds and movements freely. For instance, providing a variety of instruments and encouraging children to create their own songs or rhythms fosters creative expression. Movement activities, such as improvisational dance, where children are encouraged to move in response to different types of music, help develop both creative thinking and physical coordination.

A practical example is setting up a "music and movement corner" in the classroom, complete with instruments such as drums, tambourines, and xylophones, as well as scarves or ribbons for dancing. Teachers can play different genres of music and invite children to express what they hear through movement, further supporting their creative development (Glover, 2000).

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\). The music and movement learning area is set up in a younger preschool classroom. Image by Heather Carter and is licensed CC BY-NC-ND.

The following is an excerpt from Paris et.al (2021) on additional ways to support creativity through music and movement:

• Find ways to expose children to music being conducted and performed.
• Provide music areas where children can experience instruments or participate in musical activities as individuals or in small groups.
• Set up a “Science of Sound” area where children can explore and experiment with building sounds.
• Provide a conductor’s listening and play area.
• Make instruments with the children.
• Incorporate chant games and songs related to sound production.
• Include a variety of songs that are related to a particular topic area
• Use songs that have movements or gestures that accompany the words.
• Provide children with an opportunity to conduct the group by singing or playing instruments.
• Dramatize poetry and nursery rhymes as a fun way to explore and develop vocal inflection and pitch capabilities in the young singer.
• Invite young children to move to instrumental program music or music that tells a story.

Drama

The following is an excerpt from Paris et.al (2021) on ways to support the dramatic arts in preschool:

• Observe dramatic play and role-playing.
• Step in or model when needed.
• Provide adaptations to support the participation of children with disabilities or other special needs. This may include pre-teaching, using pictures, sign language, and other multisensory enrichment techniques, as well as modified equipment and props.
• Use a drama-based vocabulary. For example, blocking, actors, stage, scenery, voice, props, and so on.
• Encourage children to use drama-based vocabulary
• Encourage and model the expression of interests and preferences.
• Encourage and allow initiative.
• Model and note appropriate ways of using drama materials.
• Move in and out of the role as appropriate (decide when to participate and when to facilitate).
• Use costumes, props, and scenery to inspire dramatic play and drama.
• Facilitate children’s engagement in drama by first discussing expectations.
• Scaffold and encourage children during and after participating in drama to build their understanding and use of plot.

Creativity Across the Program

Science and Math: Encouraging children to ask questions, make predictions, and experiment with different outcomes supports creativity in science and math. For example, during a simple experiment with water and various objects, asking, "What do you think will happen if we drop this in the water?" encourages children to think creatively and explore scientific concepts. Similarly, in math, providing open-ended problems, such as "How many different ways can we build a tower with these blocks?" promotes creative problem-solving and critical thinking.

Cooking: Cooking activities offer numerous opportunities for creativity. Children can experiment with different ingredients, flavors, and textures, which not only supports sensory development but also encourages creative thinking. For instance, asking children to design their own pizza or sandwich allows them to explore combinations of ingredients and develop their culinary creativity.

Blocks and Manipulatives: Building with blocks and using manipulatives, such as puzzles or pattern blocks, supports spatial awareness and problem-solving skills while also fostering creativity. Encouraging children to create their own structures, patterns, or designs without specific instructions promotes imaginative thinking. For example, setting up a "building challenge" where children are asked to create something that can hold a certain amount of weight encourages them to think creatively and explore engineering concepts.

References, Contributors and Attributions

Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (Eds.). (2011). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia experience in transformation (3rd ed.). Praeger.

Glover, J. (2000). Children’s music: A practical guide for primary school teachers. Routledge.

Paris, J., Beeve, K., & Springer, C. (2021). Introduction to Curriculum for Early Childhood Education). LibreTexts.