- Articulate a philosophical framework for nurturing creativity.
- Help staff members offer experiences, activities and interactions that promote creativity.
- Help staff distinguish between process- and product-oriented experiences.
- Brainstorm ways to meet the creative needs of all learners.
Learn
Know
Consider the statement: “Children should be seen and not heard.” If you were operating from this philosophy, what would be your approach as a parent or as a teacher? What kinds of things would children do or not do as a result of you holding that belief? Now think about what a teacher’s approach might be if they believe there is only one right way to do something. What if they believe that there is no time for play, as children need to be ready for school? Your beliefs and attitudes influence your actions.
Our personal experiences and cultural values influence our work. We need to be aware of our beliefs and their alignment or conflict with the philosophies of the programs where we work. Working with children and youth requires decision-making based on research and best practice, and curricular decisions should be based on a philosophical framework. A philosophical framework bundles research and best practice and provides a way for teachers to evaluate their thinking when making curricular decisions. To achieve positive child and youth outcomes, it is important that all staff members in your program operate from the same philosophical framework. Understanding that all staff may not share the same beliefs, and being able to clearly articulate why you support a philosophy that promotes creativity, will ensure consistency across your program.
The core components of a philosophical framework for creativity include these ideas:
- Creativity prepares children and youth with the skills they need to be successful.
- Creativity includes more than the arts.
- While it may show itself in different ways, creativity is within all of us.
21st Century Skills
Most people can agree that the world in which their children and youth will live, work and play will be very different in the future than it is today. Constant change requires an ever-evolving set of skills.
Diane Ravitch, an education historian, says that for children to be prepared for the 21st century, they need the following skills and knowledge:
An understanding of history, civics, geography, mathematics, and science, so they may comprehend unforeseen events and act wisely; the ability to speak, write, and read English well; mastery of a foreign language; engagement in the arts, to enrich their lives; close encounters with great literature, to gain insight into timeless dilemmas and the human condition; a love of learning, so they continue to develop their minds when their formal schooling ends; self-discipline, to pursue their goals to completion; ethical and moral character; the social skills to collaborate fruitfully with others; the ability to use technology wisely; the ability to make and repair useful objects, for personal independence; and the ability to play a musical instrument, for personal satisfaction.
A group of more than 250 researchers across 60 institutions worldwide (Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills) identified four categories of 21st century skills:
- Ways of thinking: Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning
- Ways of working: Communication and collaboration
- Tools for working: Information and communications technology and information literacy
- Skills for living in the world: Citizenship, life and career, and personal and social responsibility
As a Program Manager, it is important for you to ensure that staff members recognize that while the three R’s—reading, writing and arithmetic—are essential, so are the three C’s: creativity, communication, and collaboration.
Interactions, Routines, and Experiences
Though creativity is within us, it is nurtured in our interactions with others and the experiences we share. Creativity is not something extra that your staff does; it is a part of everything they do. Children spend a great deal of time at your program and will be seeking outlets for creative expression throughout each day. It is you and your staff’s job to find a balance between providing much-needed structure and routine, while also nurturing each child’s need to be creative. When it comes to interactions, routines, and experiences in cultivating creativity, here are a few things to keep in mind:
A positive and encouraging attitude brings out the best in people. There is no place in child and youth programs for people who are negative and judgmental. Routines are anything but routine. Children need consistency to feel comfortable and free to participate in creative experiences with a clear direction and understanding of necessary routines. A hurry-up-and-get-it-done approach minimizes the opportunities to connect, learn new things or try something a different way. Building on the interests and skills of children and youth and capitalizing on connections and teachable moments creates excitement and enhances learning. Rote drill and skill activities like worksheets, dull creativity. Adults need play time too. Move away from traditional ice breakers at staff meetings and find new ways for staff members to express themselves or engage with one another. This could look like putting out interesting objects or simple materials for staff to use to create something together or trying a new skill or activity.
- A positive and encouraging attitude brings out the best in people. There is no place in child and youth programs for people who are negative and judgmental.
- Routines are anything but routine. Children need consistency to feel comfortable and free to participate in creative experiences with a clear direction and understanding of necessary routines. A hurry-up-and-get-it-done approach minimizes the opportunities to connect, learn new things or try something a different way.
- Building on the interests and skills of children and youth and capitalizing on connections and teachable moments creates excitement and enhances learning. Rote drill and skill activities like worksheets, dull creativity.
- Adults need play time too. Move away from traditional ice breakers at staff meetings and find new ways for staff members to express themselves or engage with one another. This could look like putting out interesting objects or simple materials for staff to use to create something together or trying a new skill or activity.
For more in-depth information on strategies for cultivating creativity in each of these areas, refer to the age tracks for this course.
It is the Arts and So Much More
Our lives are enriched through the arts. It is essential that children and youth are exposed to a variety of artistic forms, including dance, art, theater, and music. Opportunities for children and youth to express themselves artistically, to experiment with different artistic mediums, and to enhance their artistic capabilities should be part of their daily educational experiences at your program. Art is a way for children and youth to solve problems, conceptualize the world, and create new possibilities.
Creativity though is more than the arts; it can be science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As a Program Manager, it is important for you to emphasize to staff that while the arts are important, so are hands-on STEM experiences. New ways of thinking lead to new ways of doing, which are fueled by creativity.
Introducing technology to young children can enhance their creative expression in new ways. With proper guidance from adults, children are capable of learning many new skills. Staff must be deliberate in the way they introduce technology and how they use it to guide children’s learning. Once children know how to operate and care for devices, they can more easily extend their learning and create their own ideas for its use. The goal of incorporating technology in learning should be for children to be users, not simply consumers (Fantozzi, 2022).
In addition to fine art and STEM activities, physical activities like games and sports can be an outlet for children’s creative thinking. Research suggests a relationship exists between physical fitness and creative processing, and that participating in sports and physical activity can help children develop creative thinking skills (Santos & Monteiro, 2020). When children hike, climb, play games with others, and engage in other physical pursuits, they are problem-solving and flexing their creative muscles.
Creative Experiences
Use the menu at the left or the pager below to cycle through Creative Experiences.
Are there opportunities for children to take on a variety of roles and engage in pretend play? This is important from toddlerhood through the school-age years. Children should have the opportunity to use and create costumes, props, and materials in their play. Younger children may begin by acting out home themes in the dramatic play kitchen. Older children may put on skits, comedy shows, plays or dramas based on stories with which they are familiar. Staff should encourage children to imagine, pretend, and take on roles. Children should also be encouraged to brainstorm ways to create new worlds or scenarios for play. Encourage staff members to get involved when appropriate.
Are there opportunities for children to create physical representations of the world around them — or completely new worlds? Construction allows children to exercise their creativity in a variety of ways while also exploring concepts in physics, mathematics and statistics. The materials that children use are vitally important in construction, but equally important are the time, opportunity, and encouragement that staff members provide. Encourage staff members to think creatively about construction in their activity plans. They can go beyond simple unit blocks. Natural materials like slices of wood, stones or bark can add to construction experiences indoors and outdoors. Also encourage staff members to think about construction experiences that can spark excitement and curiosity for the children: Can they build a structure that people can go inside and that lasts for several days? Can they build a machine that works? Can they help design and build something that solves a problem for the program (like a ramp or drainage system on the playground)?
Creativity is the hallmark of science. Encourage staff members to think of ways to help children understand and capture the wonder of science. Encourage them to try true experiments (ones in which the adult does not know the outcome). Make sure staff members maintain safety as a top priority, but encourage them to let children’s questions guide discovery.
Every child is an artist. Art experiences allow children to express themselves. Make sure staff members understand the importance of open-ended art experiences (see process vs. product later in this lesson). There is a place for art experiences with a clear outcome: for example, performing a piano solo. But there must also be opportunities for open-ended experimentation across media (paint, sculpture, music, etc.). Help staff members know how to interact with children around art. Encourage them to make positive, descriptive comments about art (“You used three shades of blue in the sky”) rather than praise (“Good job painting that picture”). This supports motivation and removes evaluation from creative work.
New sensations spark curiosity and creativity. It can be liberating for children to get their hands dirty! Make sure staff members understand the importance of sensory experiences. Look for staff members to provide a variety of experiences that go beyond a simple sand or water table. Encourage staff members to engage all the senses: Talk about smell during cooking activities; talk about texture while children touch mulch, grass, or sand; provide opportunities to taste new foods; encourage children to lay on the ground with their eyes closed and listen to the sounds around them. When possible, encourage staff members to plan field trips that incorporate sensory experiences. Trips to parks or nature preserves expose children to new sights, smells, sounds, and sensations.
Encourage staff members to think creatively about writing experiences in school-age programs. Brainstorm with staff members about experiences that model a range of creative writing experiences: comic strips, cartoons, advertisements, blogs, songs, raps or brochures.
Help staff members make music a part of their programs. From infancy through the school-age years, music is an important part of many children’s lives. Encourage staff members to provide opportunities for children to make up songs, tunes or lyrics. Help staff members find interesting instruments or materials to share. Instruments from a variety of cultures can add to children’s experiences. Objects like record players might be novel to the children and spark interest and curiosity in music.
As the use of technology is becoming an important creative tool, ensure staff members are intentional in the way they introduce and use various forms of technology to guide children’s learning. Have staff consider first teaching children how to operate and care for devices. This will allow children and youth to easily extend their learning by creating their own ideas for its use. The goal of incorporating technology in learning should be for children to be users, not simply consumers (Fantozzi, 2022). Consider working with youth to express themselves through podcasts or other program-approved social media outlets. Encourage mixed media creations that integrate photography, sound, digital editing, and offline materials; and encourage youth to use technology to research ideas that spark their curiosity or to seek out creative solutions to common problems.
Your program may invite local storytellers, artists, musicians, writers, or scientists to share their creativity with children, families and staff.
Creative Expression is Universal
As you learned in Lesson One, creativity is something within all of us. The question is not whether we are creative, but rather how we express our creativity. While creativity can be expressed in a multitude of ways, there are some specific ways in which creativity is expressed across the age continuum.
Age Chart
Use the menu at left or the pager below to cycle through examples
Infants
Infants express creativity in their connections with others. Here are just a few examples:
- Smiling when they hear a familiar voice
- Tracking the movement of a mobile when they lie on their backs for a nap
- Helping to hold their bottle when they are feeding
- Mouthing an object that has come into their space
- Cooing to the rhythm of the sounds they hear
Toddlers
Toddlers express their creativity as they explore their surroundings and the people and things in them. Here are a few examples:
- Using their bodies as tools to get something they want
- Squeezing their bodies in tight spaces to see if it fits
- Taking something from their friend because they want it
- Creating new uses for objects and people
Preschoolers
Preschoolers express their creativity as they engage the world of ideas. Here are a few examples:
- Building castles out of wood blocks
- Making birthday cakes out of play dough
- Exclaiming "that's my name" when they see a word that begins with the same letter as their name
- Re-enacting their recent visit to the doctor in the dramatic play area
School-agers
School-agers express their creativity as they try to understand themselves and the world around them more deeply. Here are a few examples:
- Questioning why they have to do something they are asked to do
- Wearing their clothes or their hair in different ways
- Caring incessantly about their peers' opinions of them
- Focusing on activities they find interesting for long periods of time
As a Program Manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that staff members have a thorough understanding of how creativity is expressed for the ages of the children and youth they serve. The following video shows a few ways infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-agers engage in creativity. For more in-depth descriptions of how creativity is expressed across the age continuum, refer to the direct care tracks for this course.
Creative Expression
Culturally Responsive Creative Experiences
Creativity can happen anywhere: quiet moments by yourself, surrounded by a group of enthusiastic people, on a walk, in a car, etc. The opportunities that staff members provide to children and the interactions among staff members and children are critical for promoting creativity.
Take a moment to think about the phrase “culturally responsive creative experiences.” Culturally responsive experiences are those that help children see themselves. This may mean opportunities for self-reflection and expression. It may also mean broad exposure to people, ideas, and experiences from around the world. Exposure to the world around them sparks curiosity and creative thinking. In terms of creativity, the term “culture” can be quite broad. Staff members should provide experiences that help children define a sense of self and a sense of the world around them. This may include racial or ethnic identity, but it can also include identities related to family home values, beliefs, and experiences. For example, children may explore the culture of living on a military installation, being an only child, or starting middle school.
Families can be your program’s resource for culturally responsive experiences. Ask families to share creative experiences and activities that they engage in as a family and invite families to share ideas for the classroom or program that are culturally relevant.
Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners
Each child develops differently, and each child approaches creative experiences differently. Some children might have difficulties accessing creative experiences. For example, a child who uses a wheelchair might have trouble reaching a traditional easel. A child with visual or hearing impairments may have trouble viewing a work of art or listening to a piece of music. A child with attention difficulties might be challenged to attend to an experience for any length of time. A child who is easily over-stimulated might not enjoy sensory or open-ended experiences. Staff must be prepared to meet children where they are and make appropriate adaptations or modifications so all children can access creative experiences. Here are some guidelines to help staff members support all learners:
- Art and creative experiences should always be a choice, and there should be no wrong answers. Each child encounters experiences in his or her own way and at his or her own pace.
- Do not let disabilities or differences be a barrier to participation. Help staff create adaptations or modifications that allow each child to participate fully.
- Scaffold creative experiences for children who need support. Although creative experiences are often open-ended, it is OK for adults to provide some help when needed. Adults could use a picture schedule to help an individual child begin an activity (i.e., put on smock, pick up brush, dip in paint, and create!). They may use a variety of supports such as peer support, adult support, or environmental modification to help children be successful (Sandall et al., 2019).
Distinguishing Between Process- and Product-Oriented Experiences
Your program should strive to strike a balance between process-oriented experiences and product-oriented experiences. Process-oriented experiences are those experiences that are open-ended, child-directed, and focused on the experience rather than the outcome. For example, children paint at easels, write their own scripts for a play, or experiment with constructing a doll house out of a variety of materials. Product-oriented experiences have a clearly defined goal or outcome. An adult often decides upon the goal. For example, a class of preschool children might all make jack-o’-lantern faces out of construction paper at Halloween. When adults dictate to children the size paper to use, colors to use, and product to make, creativity is stifled (Althouse, Johnson, & Mitchell, 2002).
Not all examples of product-oriented experiences discourage creativity. Product-oriented experiences can be important when children are developing skills. For example, if a child is learning to play a musical instrument, knit, sew, or compose an essay, there are specific skills or strategies the child needs to learn. Creativity flourishes when the child has mastered the skills necessary to perform.
Supervise & Support
Facilitating a Balanced Approach
When it comes to igniting creativity, your program should use a balanced approach. Focusing more on the end result (product) minimizes the importance of the experience (process). In other words, the journey is just as important as the destination.
Children need a balance between skill-based, product-oriented experiences and more open-ended, process-oriented experiences. You must work with staff to help them understand when each type of experience is appropriate. The decision rests in the goal of the activity. If the goal is creative expression, it would be inappropriate to ask all children to create an identical flower out of modeling clay. If the goal is to replicate a specific technique that is needed for further skill building, then this activity might be appropriate.
As a Program Manager, it is important that you recognize when staff members are not taking a balanced approach, and work with your Training & Curriculum Specialist to support them in finding balance. Through coaching and professional development, you can help them step out of their comfort zones and embrace new strategies for enhancing creativity.
Watch as these preschoolers engage in a project that takes a balanced approach. There is adult input that invites children to express themselves artistically, make independent decisions, and reflect on the work they created.
Matisse-A-Pizza
When it comes to igniting creativity at your program, it is important that you articulate your program’s philosophical framework. In summary, staff should understand the following:
- Personal beliefs, while important, may be different than the program’s philosophy.
- Creativity is an essential 21st century skill.
- Creativity involves the arts and so much more, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and games.
- Creative expression manifests itself differently based on children’s ages and the activities in which they are engaged.
- It is important to take a balanced approach.
Staff should also be encouraged to apply what they understand about creativity by using intentional strategies and best practices. It’s not enough to recognize the importance of supporting creativity in your program, you must find ways to keep children and staff actively engaged with creative thinking and play.
Explore
Take some time to do a walkthrough of your program. Be sure to visit classrooms, play areas and shared spaces. As you move through these program spaces, be on the lookout for evidence of creativity at work. Use the Creativity Observation activity and make tally marks or notes to record the different ways you see creativity being used in your program.
Once you have completed your walkthrough, look back at your notes and identify which areas of creativity were most often used in your program and which creative areas could be explored more thoroughly by the children in your program. Share these findings with your Training & Curriculum Specialist, and plan for how to support staff members in using a balanced approach to engage children's creativity. This may look like planning professional development opportunities, reaching out to local artists or performers, or partnering with families to explore new creative activities.
Apply
Think about your program and the unique opportunities that exist in your community. Using your notes from the Creativity Observation activity in the Explore section, brainstorm how your staff may utilize the environment, incorporate community partnerships and partner with families to support children’s creative development with Creativity Planning Tool.
Glossary
Demonstrate
Althouse, R., Johnson, M. H., & Mitchell, S. T. (2002). The Colors of Learning: Integrating the visual arts into the early childhood curriculum. New York: Teachers College Press.
Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21s). (2009-2012). http://atc21s.org
Fantozzi, V. (2022). Technology Guidelines Support Preschool Creativity. National Association for the Education of Young Children. http://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/winter2022/tech-for-preschool
Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center. (2019). Effective Practice Guides: Creativity. https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/school-readiness/effective-practice-guides/creativity
Sandall, S., Schwartz, I., Joseph, G., and Gauvreau, A. (2019). Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs (3rd ed.). Brookes Publishing.
Santos, S., & Monteiro, D. (2021). Uncovering the Role of Motor Performance and Creative Thinking on Sports Creativity in Primary School-aged Children. Creativity Research Journal, 33(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2020.1843125
PBS LearningMedia | Teaching Resources For Students And Teachers. (n.d.). PBS LearningMedia. https://wosu.pbslearningmedia.org/