How might we nurture creativity in children's learning?

Creativity as a disposition and stance

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There are many ways to think about creativity as a disposition or stance. Connected words might be imagination, original, new, unexpected and inventive. We can be creative with ideas or concrete materials. We might be creative for different reasons... to be playful, to solve problems, to create or think of or adapt something not thought of before... I often associate 'creativity' with 'possibilities' and we can already see creativity can be considered in many possible ways.

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Creativity is something that I value and have strong personal connections to. These help me to nurture creativity in children's learning.

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Creativity as a way of "being" as well as a way of "thinking"

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Creativity is a way of being as much as it is a way of thinking. The people, places and events I am surrounded by influence and inspire my own levels of creativity which in turn seep into how I engage with children. I enjoy music, theatre and travel so I am continually exposed to creative ideas. Intentional in seeking new creative opportunities. I get excited as I notice novel ideas that often spark curiosity and wonder. I happily get 'lost' in the creative process as I play with ideas and tools to develop, for example, a series of invitations for workshops I am developing for teachers or how to bring a read aloud alive to young children. I am also happy to 'fail' and start over! Engaged in regular self-talk, I ask myself 'What could I do?' and 'What if?' trying not to censor what might initially seem impossible to achieve. Collaborating with others, I often bring ideas and questions to individuals or groups.

This way of way of being permeates all aspects of my life, including the pedagogical decisions I take as a teacher. A constant source of inspiration are the children themselves and seeing how creative they are as they invent new games, build imaginative structures, interpret and develop stories, imagine new worlds and characters, transform materials into amazing creations or explore the possibilities of playing with a material.

Adult influences on creativity in the classroom

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• Time (Children have uninterrupted times to play and explore, and time to think creatively in response to open-ended questions, invitations and provocations)
• Modelling (My actions and the process of using my imagination and being playful are shared and made visible)
• Language (I am intentional in using phrases such as 'Maybe' or 'I could try' and asking questions such as 'What else?' or 'What if...?)
• Environment (Children have the freedom to access a range of open-ended materials and loose parts that call for children to use their imagination, and learning spaces that extend to the outdoors, including environments beyond the school)
• Interactions (My interactions show that I value creativity and documentation often captures photographs of moments in children's creative process and quotes of their thinking)
• Routines (Embedding creativity in routines such as morning routines, the wording of tasks such as 'How many ways...?' and the intentional use of loose parts to engage in symbolic play)
• Expectations (Having a strong, positive image of the child helps to establish a shared culture and belief in children as competent, curious and creative young learners)
• Opportunities (Children have regular access to new literature, materials, people, places and events, maximising exposure to creativity and the benefits of living in Paris)

The 8 bullet points are taken from Ron Ritchhart's work on cultural forces and his book 'Creating Cultures of Thinking'.

What bullet points might you add to highlight other factors that help embed creativity with our learners?

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P.S. If you're curious about understanding the links between "play" and "creativity" and you'd like to understand how to intentionally cultivate creativity through play, consider joining our community for our next "live" and provocation series with Sugata Mitra on "play and creativity". This link will get you one month FREE (so, what have you got to lose?!), which will include the "live" with Sugata, access to the recording and opportunities to engage with community discussions on how to embed creativity in your settings. You will also have access to ALL of our content so far, including 15 "lives" and video provocation series with lead thinkers in play. If you value play, this is very powerful learning for you and your teams!