Nurture Creativity In 2026|02|08
Children
Asian Pacific
Topic 2
Heritage Month
Creative Development
Nayanthara Monarawila
(Founder of BrightMinds Institute I Visiting Lecturer at First Friends Campus)
The Four C model of
creativity
The Four C model of creativity
• The Four C model of creativity, developed by Kaufman and
Beghetto, outlines a developmental, lifespan approach to creative
expression, moving from personal, everyday innovation to eminent, history-
changing work.
• The four levels are mini-c (personal insights), little-c (everyday
creativity), Pro-c (professional expertise), and Big C (eminent/legendary).
Definitions of creativity
✓ ‘Creative curriculum’ is ‘what is to be learned’ to help children to become creative thinkers
(Teaching Strategies, 2010).
✓ ‘Creativity’ is the thinking ability (generating and refining ideas) associated with new, original,
workable, and practical outcomes (Ministry of Education in Thailand, 2016).
✓ ‘Creative teaching’ focuses on the teaching and learning activities that aim to develop creative
capacity (Maxwell, 2013).
✓ ‘Creative learning’ describes the range of activities and methods used by learners that support
creative developments and skills (Maxwell, 2013).
Creativity Development In
The Age Group 3 - 6
Children aged 3-6 develop rapidly in creativity, using
imaginative play, drawing, and crafting to explore
emotions, improve fine motor skills, and express
ideas
• The world of the preschooler is one of imagination and magic.
• For many children, their creativity will reach its peak before the age of six, after which it will begin to
decline with the onset of formal schooling and the developmental drive towards conformity.
• However, supporting your child’s creativity in preschool sets the stage to foster its continued
development in the years beyond.
• By the age of three, children have officially entered Piaget’s preoperational period, the hallmark of
which is the ability to use symbols and representational thought.
• With these newfound representational abilities, children’s imaginations become boundless! They
love pretend games and have a natural tendency to fantasize, experiment, and explore.
• They are fascinated with magic and struggle to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
• However, their creative drive ignites a desire to learn and supports intellectual development across
all subjects.
Ways to foster Creativity for
Age 3-6
Ways to foster Creativity:
•Encourage creative problem solving: Ask your child open-ended questions that
have no right or wrong. Encourage her to tell you why she thinks as she does
(fostering creativity, cognition, and language development). For example, “What
could happen if dogs could talk?” or “Would you rather have no nose, or no eyes,
and why?” Accept any answer as “enough,” but invite your child to go further with
more questions or curiosities that her answers inspire.
•Provide an array of experiences to build your child’s foundation of
knowledge (e.g., go to museums, visit libraries, and explore different
neighborhoods in your town).
•Invite your child to create: Give her a list of things to find (e.g., something
that has color, 2 smooth objects, 4 things that smells nice) then use them in
a creation. Have recyclable materials (e.g., egg cartons, cardboard boxes,
etc.) available to make projects with. Worried about the mess? “Paint” with
glue, “sprinkle” glitter, add virtual leaves or “crumple” paper.
•Break the rules: Invite your child to do things differently. Some ideas to
think about:
• Instead of playing the same game by the rules, see if your child can
make up her own!
Things Parents and Teachers Should Know About
Creative Development
Creative development is an essential part of early childhood growth. It shapes how children think,
explore, and express themselves. Here are 10 things parents should know about creative development:
• Just like parents teach children to walk, you can also teach them to be creative.
• Children of all ages, even infants, benefit from creative experiences.
• By age three, many children start creating with intention.
• Creativity often peaks around age six.
• Encouraging creativity fosters a love for learning.
• Creativity thrives in unstructured and often messy activities.
• Creativity improves with practice and exploration.
• Everyday moments like snack time, walks, or listening to music can boost creativity.
• Experimenting with different materials sparks curiosity.
• Your enthusiasm can inspire your child’s excitement for creative play.
An environment for
creativity
❑ Creating a dedicated, flexible, and inspiring
space for children encourages creativity by
providing easy access to varied, open-ended
materials in a safe environment
• Areas of a preschool classroom must be inviting,
pleasing, and functional.
• This encourages focused, creative work and
individual expression.
• Your job is to create spaces that promote a
love for exploration and learning and a
respect for children’s work, ideas, and
individual differences.
• You must also provide a variety of materials.
These types of experiences involve using a
variety of tools and materials as well.
Spaces and materials are powerful
elements of creativity.
1. Identify the characteristics of a creative learning environment.
2. Understand developmentally appropriate materials that promote
creativity.
3. Addressing the Creative Needs of All Learners
1. Identify the characteristics of a
creative learning environment.
• Creativity can happen anywhere! High-quality preschool environments should
incorporate creativity throughout.
• As a preschool teacher, you are responsible for developing experiences that
are not only play-based, but also centered around the interests of the
children.
• When you respect and value their interests, children are more likely to be
invested in their learning and engaged in your classroom- experiences.
• You can learn about children’s interests through observation, conversations
with children or family members, and discussions with co-teachers and other
school staff.
2. Understand developmentally
appropriate materials that promote
creativity.
• A variety of carefully chosen materials can foster creativity in children. Think of
materials as a language for children (Weisman Topal, & Gandini, 1999).
• Materials enable children to express themselves, to share what they already
know, to demonstrate existing skills, and to learn new skills.
• Materials should reflect children’s interests, backgrounds, and life experiences.
• Additionally, materials should encourage different kinds of group or individual
work in your classroom.
List Developmentally Appropriate Materials…
3. Addressing the Creative Needs of All
Learners
• Every child demonstrates creativity in a unique way. When it comes to
children with developmental disabilities in your classroom, you may have
to make adaptations or provide support that will enable these children to
succeed.
• In general, children with special learning needs may require adaptations
to the curriculum, classroom environment, and daily preschool activities.
E.g. 1.
Consider a child with physical disabilities who may have a hard time
reaching for art materials or moving during music and movement.
Arranging your environment, for example, by changing the location of
items or moving furniture to facilitate movement, will ensure that this child
is able to actively engage in experiences just like his or her peers.
E.g. 2.
A child who is experiencing challenges with attention may
have a hard time staying focused during lengthy
experiences. Allowing that child to take breaks may enable
him or her to be successful.
E.g. 3.
A child who seems to get easily over-stimulated may prefer
working with fewer materials or may be more successful
during structured experiences.
Questions & answers
Invite questions from the audience
Let’s Remind…….
LETS PLAY KAHOOT..
[Link]
References
Kannikar Susam (2003). The Project Approach of Learning Experienced Effecting Preschool Children's Creativity.
[Link]
Jordanous, Anna (2015) Four PPPPerspectives on Computational Creativity. In: AISB 2015 Symposium on Computational Creativity,
20-22nd May, 2015, Canterbury, Kent, UK.
Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA). (2005). Creativity: Find it, Promote It!— Promoting Pupils’ Creative Thinking and
Behaviour across the Curriculum at Key Stages
Ciez-Volz, K.A. (2008). Charting A Course to Creativity in Developmental Education.
[Link]
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