Several aspects of young children's learning are important to consider when thinking about art and creative activities

(Edwards & Hiler, 1 !"# $irst, young children are developmentally capable of classroom e%periences which call for (and practice" higher level thinking skills, including analysis (breaking down material into component parts to understand the structure, seeing similarities and differences"& synthesis(putting parts together to form a new whole, rearranging, reorgani'ing"& and evaluation ((udging the value of material based on definite criteria"# Second, young children want and need to e%press ideas and messages through many different e%pressive avenues and symbolic media# )oung children form mental images, represent their ideas, and communicate with the world in a combination of ways# *hey need increasing competence and integration across formats including words, gestures, drawings, paintings, sculpture, construction, music, dramatic play, movement, and dance# *hrough sharing and gaining others' perspectives, and then revisiting and revising their work, children move to new levels of awareness# *eachers act as guides, careful not to impose adult ideas and beliefs upon the children# *hird, young children learn through meaningful activities in which different sub(ect areas are integrated# +pen, ended discussions and long,term activities bring together whole, language activities, science, social studies, dramatic play, and artistic creation# -ctivities that are meaningful and relevant to the child's life e%periences provide opportunities to teach across the curriculum and assist children in seeing the interrelationships of things they are learning# *eachers have many opportunities to integrate curriculum# $or e%ample, the arrival of a new sibling is a common occurrence# *eachers might ask parents of children in their class to contribute photographs of the children as infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, so that the children who are interested can make scrapbooks# .f such photos are unavailable, the children can draw or cut pictures from maga'ines, or dictate stories about remembered foods, toys, or bedroom furnishings# Such activities, designed to help a child deal with a new baby, also help children to use spoken and written language and to select and organi'e materials# $ourth, young children benefit from in,depth e%ploration and long,term, open,ended pro(ects which are started either from a chance event, a problem posed by one or more children, or an e%perience planned and led in a fle%ible way by teachers (Edwards & Springate, 1 !& /lark, 1 0"# *he adults act as resource persons, problem, posers, guides, and partners to the children in the process of discovery and investigation# *hey take their cues from children through careful listening and observation, and know when to encourage risk,taking and when to refrain from interfering# 1hat *eachers /an 2o 3iven what is known about young children's learning and about their ama'ing competence to e%press their visions of themselves and their world, how can the classroom be modified to best support children's emerging creativity4 Time. /reativity does not follow the clock# /hildren need e%tended, unhurried time to e%plore and do their best work# *hey should not be artificially rotated, that is, asked to move to a different learning center or activity when they are still productively engaged and motivated by a piece of creative work# Space. /hildren need a place to leave unfinished work to continue the ne%t day, and a space that inspires them to do their best work# - barren, drab environment is not conducive to creative work# 5ather, children's work is fostered by a space that has natural light, harmonious colors, comfortable and child,si'ed areas, e%amples of their own and others' work (not only their classmates, but as appropriate, also their teachers' and selected adult artists", and inviting materials# Materials. 1ithout spending great amounts of money, teachers can organi'e wonderful collections of resource materials that might be bought, found, or recycled# *hese materials can include paper goods of all kinds& writing and drawing tools& materials for constructions and collages, such as buttons, stones, shells, beads, and seeds& and sculpting materials, such as play dough, goop, clay, and shaving cream# *hese materials are used most productively and imaginatively by children when they themselves have helped select, organi'e, sort, and arrange them# Climate. *he classroom atmosphere should reflect the adults' encouragement and acceptance of mistakes, risk, taking, innovation, and uni6ueness, along with a certain amount of mess, noise, and freedom# *his is not a matter of chaos, or of tight control, but instead something in between# .n order to create such a climate, teachers must give themselves permission to try artistic activity themselves, even when they have not been so fortunate as to have had formal art training or to feel they are naturally 7good at art#7 *hrough workshops, adult education classes, or teamwork with an art teacher or parent, classroom teachers can gain the confidence for, and e%perience the pleasure of, venturing some distance down the road of self,e%pression in a medium in which they did not know they could be successful# *heir skill will then translate into the work with the children# Occasions. /hildren's best and most e%citing work involves an intense or arousing encounter between themselves and their inner or outer world# *eachers provide the occasions for these adventures# /hildren find it hard to be creative without any concrete inspiration# .nstead, they prefer to draw on the direct evidence of their senses or memories# *hese memories can become more vivid and accessible through the teacher's provocations and preparations# $or e%ample, teachers can encourage children to represent their knowledge and ideas before and after they have watched an absorbing show, taken a field trip, or observed and discussed an interesting plant or animal brought into class# *eachers can put up a mirror or photos of the children in the art area, so children can

study their faces as they draw their self, portrait# *eachers can offer children the opportunity to check what they have drawn against an original model and then let them revise and improve upon their first representation# /onclusion -ll of these activities can be combined with the teachers' goals of gradually introducing children to new art materials and techni6ues# $inally, there is no 7one right way7 for helping young children achieve their creative potential# *eachers will need to continue to e%periment and test alternatives to see what is effective in their situation#

Early childhood development is defined as 8a set of concepts, principles, and facts that e%plain, describe and account for the processes involved in change from immature to mature status and functioning9 (:at', 1 ;, p# 1!<"# 2evelopment is generally divided into three broad categories= physical development, cognitive development, and social emotional development (>erk, ?@@@"# Ahysical development addresses any change in the body, including how children grow, how they move, and how they perceive their environment# /ognitive development pertains to the mental processes (e#g#, language, memory, problem solving" that children use to ac6uire and use knowledge# Emotional and social development addresses how children handle relationships with others, as well as understand of their own feelings# Early childhood development is generally divided into three age categories (>redekamp & /opple, 1 <"# *he first age category includes infants and toddlers who are between the ages of birth and ! years of age# -ccording to Bally and colleagues (1 <", the most important factor for young infants (birth to C months" is security with primary caregivers# >etween the ages of to 1C months, mobile infants are mostly concerned with e%ploration and between 1C and !; months, the central focus of development is identity, and children become more independent# *he second age category of early childhood development includes preschoolers who are ! to D years of age# -ccording to >redecamp and /opple (1 <", this period of development is characteri'ed by rapid gross motor development (e#g#, (umping, hopping, skipping", refined movement of small muscles for ob(ect manipulation, ma(or increases in vocabulary and use of language, abstract representation of mental constructs, and the development of relationships with other young children# *he final category of early childhood development includes those children in the primary grades who are between ; and C years of age# >redekamp and /opple (1 <" describe highlights in primary,aged children's development during this time= 3ross and fine motor development is characteri'ed by children's ability to perform controlled movements and se6uence motor skills# 3reater reasoning, problem solving, and assimilation also characteri'e children's cognitive development at this stage# 2uring the primary years, children's vocabulary increases at a rapid pace# .n addition, their written communication skills develop# Socially, primary,aged children begin to understand others' perspectives, are concerned with fairness, and monitor their own behavior# INFLUENCES ON EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT Practices for enhancing children's development are influenced most by child development theories. Berk defines a theory as an orderly, integrated set of statements that describes, explains, and predicts behavior ( !!!, p. "#. $enerally speaking there are four broad theoretical perspectives that guide practice in early childhood development% behaviorism and social learning theory, cognitive&developmental theory, sociocultural theory, and ecological systems theory. B. '. (kinner ()*!+,)**!# is most noted for his theory of behaviorism or more specifically operant conditioning theory, -hich is based on the premise that children's behavior can be increased based on the presentation of reinforcers and decreased through punishment (Berk, !!!#. (ocial learning theory, created by .lbert Bandura (b. )* /#, expands on operant conditioning by adding the idea that imitation or observational learning increases the chances that children -ill learn ne- behaviors. $enerally speaking, behaviorists believe that children's development is outside of their o-n influence, that it is shaped by environmental stimuli (0aniels 1 (humo-, !!2#. 3ean Piaget ()4*",)*4!# is credited -ith the cognitive&developmental theory that vie-s the child as actively constructing kno-ledge and cognitive development as taking place in stages (Berk, !!!, p. )#. .ccording to his con&structivist theory, Piaget asserted that children pass through four distinct stages of development, including the sensor&imotor stage (birth to years#, preoperational stage ( to 5 years#, concrete operational stage (5 to ))#, and formal operational stage ()) and beyond#. Piaget believed that reasoning deepens in children as they gro-, engagement in the physical and social -orld enhances development, and conceptual change occurs through assimilation and accommodation (0aniels 1 (humo-, !!2, p. +*5#. 6ev 7ygotsky ()4*",)*2+# sa- child development as a kind of social constructivism, in -hich development is determined by culture. .ccording to Berk and 8insler ()**/# there are a number of tenets that are uni9ue to social constructivism. 'irst, because children's culture influences the activities, language, and education to -hich children are exposed, these variables affect children's development. (econd, -hile some development is innate or influenced by biology, higher level development is affected by culture. 'inally, the theory incorporates the :one of proximal development, that is, the range in children's development bet-een their ability to perform a task independently and their ability to perform a skill -ith the assistance of a more competent member of the their culture (adult or older child#. ;he ecological systems theory -as originated by <rie Bronfenbrenner ()*)5, !!/# -ho believed that children developed -ithin a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the environment (Berk, !!!, p. "#. Bronfenbrenner described four systems that

influence child development. ;he microsystem involves those that are part of children's most immediate environment, including the child's parents and other primary caregivers. =nteractions bet-een the child and those adults impact children's development. ;he second system is the mesosystem and involves systems that interact -ith the people in the microsystem, including child care programs and schools. >xosystems are places in -hich children do not spend time but -hich still impact children's development, including the parents' -orkplace policies. 'inally, the macrosystem consists of the values, la-s, customs, and resources of a particular culture (Berk, !!!, page *#. 'or example a culture's beliefs about the importance of high 9uality childcare impact children's development. ?hild development theories generally guide teaching practices of children from birth to 4 years of age. 0aniels and (humo- ( !!2# describe differences in instructional practices based on theoretical orientation. ;eachers -ho espouse behaviorist theory generally follo- more teacher& directed instructional practices, including didactic instruction -ith emphasis on ac9uisition of basic skills. @ther child development theories emphasi:e child&centered practices. ;eachers -ho support the constructivist theory provide child&choice, guided discovery, and cooperative learning. ;hey emphasi:e critical thinking, problem solving, and intrinsic motivation. (ocial constructivists build their practices around a community of learners, instructional conversation, and authentic tasks, and emphasi:e cultural literacy, collaboration, and metacognition. ;eachers emphasi:ing the ecological systems theory in their classrooms stress parent and community involvement, out&of&school activities, and cultural instruction. ;hey teach social cognition, cultural a-areness, and adaptive habits of coping. PRACTICES Aany early childhood development experts believe that kno-ledge of child development theory should guide educational practices of children from birth to 4 years of age (Bat:, )**"#. Bat: 9uestions if -e do not kno- enough about the relationship bet-een early experience and the ultimate competencies necessary for effective participation in democratic processes, ho- can -e design effective educational practiceC ()**", p. )+)#. ;heories are useful in helping researchers and teachers guide their observations ((tott 1 Bo-man, )**"#. =t is from this point of viethat practices for supporting the development of children from birth to 4 years of age originate. 0evelopmentally appropriate practices are a set of standards for providing high 9uality early care and education experiences ($oldstein, )**5# to children, birth to 4, -hich are based on kno-ledge about ho- children develop and learn (Bredekamp 1 ?opple, )**5, p. *#. ;he Dational .ssociation for the >ducation of Eoung ?hildren (D.>E?# describes specific educational practices to -hich those -orking -ith young children should adhere (Bredekamp 1 ?opple, )**5#. ;hese include% a# creating a caring community of learnersF b# teaching to enhance development and learningF c# creating appropriate curriculumF d# assessing children's learning and developmentF and e# establishing relationships -ith families. 0etailed information about the application of these practices to specific age groups can be found in Bredekamp and ?opple ()**5#. ;he follo-ing section provides an overvie- of each of these practices, empirical support for the practice, and some challenges educators face in implementing the practice in the current educational context. Creating a Caring Community of Learners. ;he community in -hich children spend time involves both the physical and social environment and their influence impact children's development. (pecific variables in early care and education settings that influence ho- children gro- and learn include lo- staffGchild ratios, positive social interactions bet-een children and bet-een children and adults, appropriate classroom arrangements, and safe and healthy practices. .ccording to Bontos and colleagues ( !! #, there is evidence that the presence of these specific variables in early care and education settings are those -here children are more likely to thrive, as determined by their attachment to the teacher, their peer relations, and their verbal ability (p. +!#. Aeasures are available that evaluate the physical and social environments in -hich children to birth to 4 spend time (i.e., =nfantG;oddler >nvironmental Hating (cale &Hevised,Birth to 2F >arly ?hildhood >nvironmental Hating (cale & Hevised,preschoolF and .ssessment of Practices in >arly >lementary ?lassrooms,primary#. >vidence of studies that have examined the community of learners has found disturbing results in some cases. =n a study of Bentucky's early care and education system, $risham&Bro-n and colleagues ( !!/# found that young children from lo- social&economic backgrounds and those of minority status -ere more likely to participate in lo- 9uality early care and education programs than their counterparts. (imilarly, a study of primary classrooms by Buchanan and colleagues ()**4# found that those classrooms most likely to use developmentally inappropriate practices -ere those serving the largest number of children -ho receive free lunch. =ncidentally, these same classrooms had larger class si:es than their counterparts -ho -ere engaged in developmentally appropriate practices. Teaching to Enhance Development and Learning. ;eaching practices for young children include opportunities for choice, hands&on learning, promotion of collaboration bet-een children, use of a variety of teaching strategies, individuali:ation, and self&regulation (Brede&kamp 1 ?opple, )**5F Buchanan et al., )**4#. ;here is evidence that these practices support the development of young children. Bontos and colleagues ( !! # found that preschool aged children experience more complex interactions -ith peers -hen engaged in creative activities than other types of activities (e.g., language arts or gross motor#. =n Bontos, et al., the creative activities -ere those that -ere open ended -ithout a finished product expected. Ac?ormick and colleagues ( !!2# evaluated the / top&performing primary programs in Bentucky and found that one variable that differentiated those classrooms from the lo-est performing classrooms -as the provision of choice in selection of materials and activities. ;his study supports that the use of developmentally appropriate practices in primary classrooms positively impacts child outcomes. . challenge in defining developmentally appropriate teaching strategies has been the emphasis on child&centered approaches. 8hereas child& centered approaches originate from constructivist theory, didactic or teacher&directed instruction originates from a behaviorist perspective ((tipek, !!+#. Because of the theoretical orientation from -hich child&centered practices derive, some have vie-ed them as synonymous -ith developmentally appropriate practices. Io-ever, Bredekamp and Hosegrant ()**/# indicate that developmentally appropriate teaching strategies, in fact, fall along a continuum from those that are non&directive (ackno-ledgement# to those that are directive (direct instruction#. (tipek ( !!+# found that teachers serving large numbers of lo- achieving children -ere more likely to use direct instruction than child&centered instructional techni9ues. $risham&Bro-n, Iemmeter, and Pretti&'rontc:ak ( !!/# argue that in blended programs -here teachers encounter groups of children -ith -ide ability levels, it is appropriate for teachers to employ the full continuum of teaching behaviors. ;his vie- is certainly in keeping -ith the ideas of response to intervention, as set forth by Pretti&'rontc:ak and colleagues ( !!4# -hereby children's needs are addressed using more intentional, direct instruction. By using the full continuum of optional teaching strategies, those -orking -ith young children are, in fact, addressing the individuali:ation ideas associated -ith developmentally appropriate practice.

Constructing Appropriate Curriculum. .ccording to Pretti&'rontc:ak and colleagues ( !!5# there are four parts to a curriculum frame-ork% )# assessment for gathering information about childrenF # scope and se9uence or the developmentalGcontent areas that -ill be addressedF 2# activities and instruction or the contexts and strategies for teachingF and +# progress monitoring or methods for determining success of the instruction. Bre&dekamp and ?opple ()**5# indicate that developmen&tally appropriate curricula should address all areas of the children's development and all content areas, bearing in mind the child's age and considering children's cultural, linguistic, and ability differences. $risham&Bro-n and colleagues ( !!/# indicate that collaboration bet-een educators, families, and other support personnel is essential for implementing a high 9uality curriculum for children in blended classrooms. @ne key issue shaping curriculum design is the development of learning standards. .lthough states have had learning standards for B&) programs since the early )**!s, early learning standards for children five and under -ere only developed in the mid& !!!s ((cott&6ittle, Bagan, 1 'relo-, !!"#. .s of !!4, over +! states and the 0istrict of ?olumbia have developed pre&kindergarten standards, many across all areas of development (Deuman 1 Hoskos, !!/#. ;he arrival of standards into programs serving children from birth to 4 years of age has challenged those -ho -ant to ensure the implementation of devel&opmentally appropriate practices during a standards&based climate that emphasi:es accountability. =n the late !!!s, leading researchers in early childhood education -ere beginning to provide guidance for ensuring that the needs of young children are appropriately addressed -ithin this context. $oldstein found in a 9ualitative study that kindergarten teachers could address content standards in a developmentally appropriate manner by recogni:ing and building on the curricular stability in kindergarten, employing instructional approaches that accommodate the children's developmental needs, setting limits, ac9uiescing to demands for developmentally inappropriate practices and materials, engaging in proactive education and outreach, accepting additional responsibilities, and making concessions ( !!5, p. /)#. $risham&Bro-n ( !!4# and $ronlund ( !!"# have proposed that curricula driven by early learning standards can be appropriate, if standards are addressed at different levels, depending on the needs of the children. Assessing Children's Learning and Development. (pecific guidelines are available regarding children's development. ;he Dational .ssociation for the >ducation of Eoung ?hildren (D.>E?# and the 0ivision for >arly ?hildhood (0>?# advocate the use of authentic assessment practices as the primary approach for assessing young children (0ivision for >arly ?hildhood, !!5F Dational .ssociation for the >ducation of Eoung ?hildren and Dational .ssociation of >arly ?hildhood (pecialists in (tate 0epartments of >ducation, !!2#. .uthentic assessment strategies involve documenting learning and development of children during real&life activities and routines by familiar adults (6osardo 1 Dotari&(yverson, !!)F Deis-orth 1 Bagnato, !!+#. Hesearch has sho-n that many teachers prefer authentic assessment approaches over more traditional assessment methods ($ao, !!5F AcDair et al., !!2#, and there are positive relationships bet-een the use of authentic assessment practices, other classroom practices, and child outcomes (Bagnato, !!/F Aeisels et al., !!2#. .ppropriate assessment practices for young children have been compromised by the accountability climate in education in the early !!!s. >arly childhood leaders have advocated the use of authentic assessment approaches for accountability purposes, indicating that these methods are more appropriate for young children (Aeisels et al., !!2F Deis-orth 1 Bagnato, !!+F $risham&Bro-n, !!4#. >merging research sho-s that authentic assessment approaches, used for accountability purposes, can yield technically ade9uate assessment data ($risham&Bro-n, Pretti& 'rontc:ak, 1 Iallam, in press#, thereby not compromising the results of high&stakes assessment. Establishing Reciprocal Relationships with amilies. =ndicators of active family involvement in programs serving young children should involve collaboration and communication. Bredekamp and ?opple ()**5# indicate that programs should collaborate -ith families as they design early experiences for their children using t-o&-ay communication strategies. <nlike other practices in early childhood education, family involvement has been an enduring value that fe- have challenged (Ioover&0empsey 1 (andler, )**/# primarily because of the positive benefits on children's development. 'or example, family literacy practices have been positively linked to children's ability to read successfully ($ambrell 1 Aa::oni, )***#. $risham&Bro-n and colleagues ( !!/# provide specific examples of ho- to involve families in child assessment, selection of children's priorities, and curriculum development. ;he period of development bet-een birth and 4 is uni9ue in a child's life. (ome have argued that there are critical periods of time by -hich children should learn specific skills, if they are to learn them ((hore, )**5#. =n one compelling article, Bailey argues that there should be a shift from emphasis on critical periods to critical experiences. Bailey 9uestions% 8hat are the experiences that are absolutely necessary for all children to maximi:e school success, mental health, and social developmentC ( !! , p. *!#. ?learly the practices that early childhood educators implement -ith children from birth to 4 have the greatest impact on child outcomes. Bno-ledge of those practices and the underlying theoretical orientation that supports them is essential in order for young children to receive critical experiences.

/reative thinking in children is both like and different from that of adults# .t is alike in that children 8have e%periences that are similar in comple%ity, challenge, and creativity to those of creative e%perts9 (/aine & /aine, 1 ;, p# 11<"# .t is different in terms of e%perience and style# Eature individualsF creative processes and products emphasi'e e%pertise, which involves the technical skill, artistic ability, talent, or knowledge of useful information that they bring to whatever they produce, and work habits, which include work style, concentration and persistence, the ability to generate new possibilities, and openness to new ideas (-mabile, 1 C!& :ohn, 1 C<"# /hildren obviously have less e%perience than adults and therefore less e%pertise, and their work styles are less well developed# >ut whatever children may lack in terms of e%pertise or style, they more than compensate for in their uni6ue ways of thinking and approaching a task# Here is what /aitlin, a !1G?,year,old, says out loud as she draws a picture# Hotice /aitlinFs vivid imagination as she describes the pictures she draws as well as her lack of inhibition about revealing her thoughts= Imagination and Fantasy .n the estimation of both e%perts and lay people, imagination and fantasy are the great creative assets of early childhood# .t is common to say that children have 8active imaginations,9 meaning that the boundaries between reality and fantasy are not as clearly demarcated for children as they are for adults, and imaginative thought comes as readily to the child as literal thought comes to the adult# .n fact, e%perts on creativity have long believed that, for most human beings, imagination peaks during early childhood#

1hat, e%actly, is imagination and why might it be more active early in life4 .magination is defined as the ability to form rich and varied mental images or concepts of people, places, things, and situations that are not present# :indergartener Eallory has become intrigued by flowersInot (ust ordinary flowers, but flowers that e%ist only in her mindFs eye# -s she imagines what she calls 8an acrobatic flower9 and 8a flower with pineapple teeth,9 Eallory uses both ob(ective thought (what she knows" and intuitive thought (what she feels"# .n addition, Eallory considers how to communicate her thoughts and feelings to others# .magination is an 8as if9 situation (1eininger, 1 CC, p# 10?"# Eallory has seen pineapple chunks before& now she draws 8as if9 they were in the flowerFs mouth as teeth# She has seen acrobats on television& now she draws her flower 8as if9 it had the physical skills of an acrobat# >y e%amining how Eallory has combined apparently unrelated elements in her drawings to produce surprising new forms, we can glimpse her imagination at work# $antasy is a subset of imaginative thinking# $antasy occurs when a person uses the imagination to create particularly vivid mental images or concepts that are make,believe, impossible, or at least not yet possible# $antasy is a 8what if9 situation (1eininger, 1 CC, p# 100"# Here is how one mother described her sonFs use of fantasy as he created a pretend companion= Ay son, -ho Just turned +, became fascinated by deer. ;his happened, = think, because -hile -e -ere visiting friends out in the country, a doe and her fa-n came into the yard. Do- (cott has created a pretend friend named 'a-nbelly. Iis bedroom -indo- faces the front porch, and that, according to my son, is -here she sleeps. Ie feeds her by putting a plastic apple on the -indo-sill and, in return, she protects him at night. 8hen he talks about 'a-nbelly, = can picture this gentle, expectant doe -ith huge bro-n eyes keeping -atch over our house. *his mother obviously values the vivid imagination and rich fantasy life of her child, and rightly so# Harvard psychologist Howard 3ardner (1 !a" has described how children are freer in their thinking= 8*he child is not bothered by inconsistencies, departures from convention, nonliteralness # # # which often results in unusual and appealing (u%tapositions and associations9 (p# ??C"# .n fact, many adult artists report that they must struggle to get back in touch with those feelings and attitudes of early childhood in order to reali'e their creative potential# *his nonliteral mode of thinking, so prevalent during early childhood, balances and complements literal thinking# -s the ne%t section describes, great ideas are produced by applying different modes of thought to a task or problem at various times# Foster creative thinking -llow your child to see things differently# She does not have to accept things because everybody else does# She will have to 8defy the crowd9 and overcome resistance# 1illingness to grow by branching out and taking sensible risks is critical& however, she should not be discouraged by failure# 5emember that itFs possible to be creative by doing things that she really cares about# 3ive her ample time for incubation, reflection and selection to develop creative ideas# Bet mistakes be opportunities for further learning# Help her understand that it is not possible to be creative without being knowledgeable& however, knowledge may also hinder creative thinking# Help her criti6ue her own ideas and decide whether they are worthy of pursuit# Help her reali'e that generating creative ideas is not enough, as ideas have to be 8sold9 to others# The Role of the Adult in Ensuring Creative Thinking Prentice (2000) advises us that learners need to be actively involved in the process of their own learning to stimulate the correct conditions for creativity to flourish. This requires young children to be e posed to a range of rich opportunities that will help them engage with the world in different ways so that s!ills of enquiry" reflection and criticism can develop. The fostering of young children#s resourcefulness and encouraging them to develop possibility thinking in a wide range of conte ts such as play" relationships and circle time" as well as mathematics and literacy" requires the adoption of littlec' creativity" Thinking Skills in the Early Years: A Guide for Practitioners 19 socalled in order to distinguish it from its almost e clusive attachment to the arts ($raft" 200%). Positive strategies to encourage the development of littlec' creativity include hearing and ac!nowledging the child and giving the child time to e press an idea even in a busy moment. The practitioner must also be able to tune into the !nowledge that enabled the child to complete an activity. &f the child has produced an artefact" the practitioner must have a space to !eep it and must celebrate the possibility thinking the child used by warmly ac!nowledging and praising the child#s suggestions. The practitioner might then encourage the child to thin! further about alternative ways that the activity or tas! might have been completed. Play forms the basis of the creative environment with imaginative play and free choice of activities seen as highly important for the development of creativity in young children as this require imagination" insight" problem solving" divergent thin!ing and the ability to e perience emotion and ma!e choices ($raft" 200%).

$reative thin!ing can be encouraged in the early years setting by as!ing open ended questions" tolerating ambiguity" modelling creative thin!ing and behaviour" encouraging e perimentation and persistence as well as praising children who provide une pected answers ('harp" 200(). 'ternberg (200%) believes that as well as the above" the practitioner must instil a sense of self belief in the child so in the future when their ideas may not always be favourably received" they maintain a sense of selfefficacy. 'ternberg suggests that mista!es need to be allowed because if children are afraid to ma!e mista!es they will have difficulty being creative and will be less li!ely to ta!e more ris!s in a restrictive environment. )ccording to 'harp (200()" adults can act as supporters" coaches" facilitators and models of creativity for children. *ut" as she suggests" adults can also stifle children+s creativity by being overly didactic and prescriptive or by having low e pectations of what children can achieve.