Creativity in the  kindergarten classroom

Aims• What is creativity?• How do we foster creativity? Promote self esteem Brainstorming activities Offer choice and allow input Use questions effectively Make connections Project work

What is creativity?

It is a 21st century skill

What is creativity?

… a learning and innovation skill

CreativityCritical thinkingCommunication Collaboration

What are learning and innovation skills?

Creativity is recognized as arising "through interaction among the individual, the task, the task materials, and other people”.

Moran, 2010: 320

Creativity …

Individual Task

Others Task materials

Creativity

Creativity …

CommunicationCreativity …

Creativity …

Bloom’s revised taxonomy (after Anderson, 1990s)

Lower order thinking skills

Higher order thinking skills

Creativity …

Creating Generating, planning and producing.

Evaluating Making judgments, checking and critiquing.

Analysing Differentiating, organizing, and attributing.

Applying Using and implementing. 

Understanding Describing, explaining, comparing, classifying, interpreting and inferring.

Remembering Identifying, labeling, retelling, and matching.

… takes learning beyond simple tasks of understanding and memorizing words and expressions. 

Creativity …

Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Promote self‐esteem ‐ routines

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Routines Feelsafe

Take risks

Promote self‐esteem ‐ routines

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

What’s the 

like? 

What’s the weather like? 

It’s rainy.

Promote self‐esteem ‐ routines

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

It isn’t rainy!

Promote self‐esteem ‐ circle time

1. Meeting up – provides a supportive atmosphere

2. Opening up – develops key social, emotional or behavioural issues

3. Calming down – ensures a feeling of closure

(Adapted from Jenny Mosley, 2005)

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Incorporate brainstorming activities

How can we represent shapes?• Say them – loudly, quietly, quickly, 

slowly ...• See them – in drawings, photos, 

pictures, inside, outside …• Make them – use paint, crayon, 

string, blocks, bodies … 

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Offer choice

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Macro level 

Micro level 

Offer choice ‐micro level 

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Children choose:

• Which activity, story, song (…)

• Which representations / gestures / mimes 

• Which words / expressions

• (…)

Allow input ‐ songs

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Children contribute to creating:

• Actions for a song

• New verses for a song

Allow input ‐ songs

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

I like chocolate. Yes, I do!I like chocolate. Yes, I do!

I like chocolate.  How about you?I like chocolate too!

Adapted: Carolyn Graham, Jazz Chants

Over to you … what’s in the next verse?What about the actions?

Using questions effectively ‐ stories

• Closed questions

• Open ended questions

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

1. What can you see?

2. Where do 2. Where do you think he 

sleeps?

3. Why do 3. Why do you think he 

sleeps?

Create a new ending!

Why does the cat always sleep?Think of a new ending and draw it. 

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Making connections!Same or different? Odd one out.

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Project work

Unit of work around playing the park (different actions and can for ability)

Project: Invent an exercise routine –share it wth the class.

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Project work

Unit of work around  classroom materials and promoting collaboration (colours, shapes, materials, describing)

Project: Make a quilt picture using different materials.

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Project work

Unit of work around greetings, coloursand shapes.

Which shapes can you see?

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Project work – make a flag

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Project work

… helps children analyze what they have 

learned.

… helps children make new connections. 

… helps children evaluate their choices.

… develops creativity.

Fostering creativity in the kindergarten classroom

Looking  back … 

• What is creativity?• How do we foster creativity? Promote self esteem Brainstorming activities Offer choice and allow input Use questions effectively Make connections Project work

References

• Moran, Seana. (2010) Creativity in Schools in K. Littleton, C. Wood, J. Kleine Staarman (Eds) International handbook of Psychology in Education pp 319‐359 

• Mosley, Jenny (2005) Circle Time for Yong Children.  Abingdon: Routledge.

• Partis, Joanne. (2003) My cat just sleeps.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Creativity in the  kindergarten classroom

Thank you!Sandie Mourão

sjmourao@gmail.comhttp://sandiemourao.eu/

http://picturebooksinelt.blogspot.pt/