in Young Children
Extension State Specialist, Child Development
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
is more than a product - it's a process. An interesting painting,
a thought-provoking writing, a unique comment - these may be examples
of creative work, but the decisions people make as they paint, sculpt,
write, speak, play, and think are at the core of the creative process.
and music are common examples of creativity, but creative thought
appears in almost all aspects of life - from the way a parent quiets
a crying child to the methods a scientist uses to discover a cure
for a disease.
publication seeks to broaden understanding about the creative process
for parents and others who work with children and youth.
in Young Children
Children who amaze their teachers with unusual responses to questions
or display a keen sense of humor are thinking creatively. Even children
who perhaps are nonconforming and unpredictable are thinking creatively.
creative thought often goes against the set rules of a strict classroom
or home, adults may be irritated by the behavior of a creative child.
Adults often do not recognize the value creative children bring
to families and classrooms. All children become adults who will
make a difference in our world with their creative problem-solving
Teachers and parents can help children learn to think and solve
problems in creative ways by giving them the freedom to make mistakes
and by respecting their ideas. This happens with greater mobility
and use of language through modeling and being allowed to experiment
without fearing failure.
solve a problem creatively, children need to be able to see a variety
of perspectives and to generate several solutions. When working
on a problem, adults should teach young children to examine their
surroundings for "cues" that will help them generate a
pool of possible solutions. In addition, adults can encourage creative
thought simply by providing
- Children who are given choices show more creativity than do children
who have all choices made for them.
Stimulation - Physical environments designed to stimulate the senses
can enhance creative problem solving. For example, when shown an
object in the shape of a half-moon and asked, "What can we
use this for?" children will exhaust their first mental images
and begin developing ideas from what they see in their surroundings.
Research has found that children who keep looking around a classroom
or playroom for cues are using a creative problem-solving method.
An environment that provides both novelty and variety will greatly
Time for play and fantasy - Dramatic play just before engaging in
problem-solving tasks can lead to more creative thought.
Leave Reality Behind
The joining together of two or more irrelevant elements, called
synectics, can lead to creative answers. The process of synectics
can take many forms:
(with reasonable limits) - Parents and teachers should encourage
children to think and act without adult direction but within the
limits of rules.
Exposure to a diverse community - Give children the opportunity
to see and experience other cultures and ways of living, acting,
and being to teach them how to respect the choices of other people.
Brainstorming sessions - Encourage children to tackle problems as
a group by freely expressing their ideas with no fear of a negative
response. Brainstorming can take place between a child and an adult
or between two or more children.
Try these brainstorming activities
a child a piece of modeling clay and ask the child to imagine that
he or she is the modeling clay.
Place a child in a different time and place. For instance, ask a
child to describe how he or she would cook a meal without electricity,
silverware, dishes, etc.
Ask a child to describe a problem or an event using pictures instead
Ask a child to solve a problem using the most unusual solutions
he or she can come up with.
- When children show special aptitudes, such as an ability to generate
many questions, a keen memory, advanced reading or pre-reading skills,
artistic skills, or other above-average abilities, adults should
encourage them to build on and expand their skills.
Honest critiques - Evaluate students' work constructively so they
can see ways to improve their work and still feel positive about
themselves and what they have created.
An environment where there is no one right answer for every problem
- Teachers who enthusiastically encourage children to develop more
than one solution to a problem see greater creativity in problem
Barriers to Creativity
Often people are not able to perform at their best because of outside
influences that make them feel pressured or insecure:
- When people do not expect a reward, they are more creative and
enjoy the process more. An unexpected reward that comes after a
project is completed is valuable but not necessary to the creative
Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation - As in the case of reward,
external motivation (such as money or special privileges) undermines
creativity. Artists say that when they are working for the enjoyment
of the process, they are far more effective and productive than
when they are commissioned to create for money.
Expected external evaluation - Knowing beforehand that a piece of
art is going to be graded can lead to a decrease in creativity.
Peer pressure - There is some evidence that pressure to conform
can lead to temporary decreases in creativity.
Surveillance - Being observed by others while engaged in a creative
process can undermine creativity.
Art is only one way children can express themselves but because
it develops before writing, or abstract thinking, adults can see
creativity expressed in art more easily with young children.
following is a brief overview of the developmental stages of children's
art. Please keep in mind that the ages given are general guidelines
and that children will enter and leave each stage at their own pace.
stage (approximately 2 to 4 years)
this stage, children:
amazed at their ability to make marks.
Spend much time practicing motor skills.
Draw circles first, then squares and other geometric shapes.
Begin trying to create (draw) their world.
May want to point to and name parts of their drawings.
Pre-schematic stage (late preschool to approximately age 7)
this stage, children
first attempts to represent people or objects. Efforts are recognizable
Are fascinated with the wide variety of colors.
Achieve obvious connections between different parts of a drawing.
Value signs of approval from teachers and peers.
Are easily discouraged and fatigued.
Are active, hands on, eager to learn, and self-centered.
Are highly imaginative yet tend to focus on one idea at a time.
Search for ways to represent their ideas.
Schematic stage (approximately 7 to 9 years)
at this stage
the use of symbols, such as a heart for love or dark colors to represent
Are less self-centered.
Still do not have a realistic understanding of their environment.
For example, the sky in a child's picture may not meet the ground
at the horizon.
Show improved eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills.
Have an increased attention span.
Begin developing a sense of humor.
Divide by gender in play.
Represent special characteristics for each person or object in their
drawings. For example, if Mom wears glasses and has curly hair,
the child will include these characteristics in the drawing.
Realistic stage (9 to 12 years)
at this stage
greatly affected by peer influence.
Increase the amount of detail and use of symbols in drawings.
Have expanded individual differences.
Begin to develop a set of values.
Want to do things "right."
Pseudo-naturalistic stage (12-14 years)
this stage, children
highly critical of the products they make.
Use a more adult-like mode of expression.
Experience a period of great individual differences physically,
mentally, emotionally, and socially.
Have art class available only as an elective in school. For many
children, this will be the last opportunity to have art instruction.
Experience a period of heightened self-consciousness. Children in
this age group often feel a need to conform to their peers, which
can stifle their creativity.
Parent and Teacher Pointers
Children want their art to look like the object they are looking
at. Failing in this attempt can be discouraging. Children need to
be taught that art is not limited to copying what they see. Adults
can show children other styles of art (such as impressionistic or
cubist art) to help them see that the free expression of ideas and
emotions is more important than creating a mirror image.
compare one child's work to another's or select one piece to be
the "model" or "ideal." Children will go through
these developmental stages in the same order, but the pace at which
they enter and leave them will vary.
Tips for parents and teachers to help children think creatively
projects that can be completed in only one way(paint-by-numbers,
kits to be assembled, for example).
not use art as indoor recess or as a reward for behaving well. Art
activities should be well thought out and planned.
a wide variety of materials available to children.
options, but let children make the final decisions for art projects.
children about their art while they are creating it, not just at
children to tell you about the work (as opposed to guessing, possibly
incorrectly, from an adult's point of view).
the effort, use of color, and uniqueness rather than just the final
product - the trip is more important than the destination.
art at a child's eye level.
the regimented use of materials and adult-directed projects. A classroom
full of samples of individual creativeness (as opposed to 23 identical
pieces hanging in a row) indicates that the teacher has given children
choices and has focused on the process rather than the product.
Clay and play dough offer opportunities for children to be creative
and to release energy and stresses. Clay and play dough can be pulled,
pushed, squeezed, and punched. Rolling pins, cookie cutters, and
various containers will add to imaginative play with clay.
Painting is creative play that can be calming for children. It allows
them to plan and make decisions about color and form, and it provides
them an opportunity to work on their own.
planning painting activities for children, alter the painting position
(floor, table, easel) and provide different paint textures, thicknesses,
and colors. Let children try painting with straws, eye droppers,
cotton balls, cotton swabs, sponges, feathers, string, pipe cleaners,
styrofoam, and fruits and vegetables cut crosswise.
a bit of powdered soap to the paint to make cleanup easier.
Sand has a wonderful unstructured quality. As children mix, pour,
sift, stir, measure and mold sand, they are using pre-math skills,
socializing, and using their imaginations.
with sand can be relaxing, and it provides a smooth sensory experience.
sure to include digging tools, buckets, molds, trucks, cars, and
figurines in the sand play area.
dry tempera paint to color the sand, and let children create sand
paintings by gluing sand to paper or by layering the colored sand
in clear containers.
Using chalk to draw on large areas such as driveways and sidewalks
is an activity that generations of children have enjoyed. Freedom
to create on large blank surfaces is far more stimulating than giving
children activity sheets and telling them to "stay in the lines."
get different effects from crayons, cut a "v" shape in
the side of a crayon or use textured surfaces under paper (screens,
can also recycle old bits of crayon by melting them together (at
200 degrees F) in a muffin tin. Let the melted crayon bits cool
and then shape them into writing utensils.
Water is one of the most exciting and yet soothing play items for
young children. Let children experiment with water by trying to
float objects of different weights, pouring and measuring, adding
food coloring, adding bubbles, washing dolls and toys, and using
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Mix flour, water, cooking oil, salt, and cream of tartar. Heat slowly
on low and stir constantly while adding food coloring. Continue
heating until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat, let cool,
then knead the ball. Store in an airtight container.
(it seems to melt in your hands)
One box of cornstarch
Water (start with 1/2 cup)
Combine all ingredients in a shallow pan. Add water until the mixture
is firm in the pan yet runny when in your hand.
(glue and starch)
1 cup liquid starch
1 cup white glue
Pour the liquid starch in the bowl first. Add the white glue. When
the glue starts to solidify, pour off the starch. Work the mixture
with your hands. Add more starch if it feels too sticky.
Amabile, T. 1983. The Social Psychology of Creativity. New York,
D. and Wolf, B. 1983. "Creativity and the Dyslexic Child: A
Classroom View." Annals of Dyslexia. 33:260-274.
R. 1991. "Play, Piaget, and Creativity: The Promise of Design."
The Journal of Creative Behavior. 25:137-144.
V. and Brittan, W. L. 1987. Creative and Mental Growth. 8th ed.
New York, N.Y.: Macmillan.
E. and Marzan, B. 1981. Meaning in Children's Art. Englewood Cliffs,
N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc.
F. 1977. Emphasis Art. 3d ed. New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row.
with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC.
DeBord, K. (1997). *Child development: Creativity in young children*.
Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.