Background information

What is Creativity?

Creativity is a skill and a way of thinking, rather than a talent we are each born with (or born without!) Creativity is an essential skill in many aspects of life - problem solving, resilience, maths, science, and social and emotional intelligence; and it is our most valuable human resource.

Creativity is a process that allows us to form original thoughts and ideas through exploration, discovery and imagination. The creative process is very much about the process rather than the product, the journey rather than the destination. We all have the capacity to be creative, however it is a skill that requires practice. It is also important to provide an environment and resources that support creative thinking and expression, especially for young children.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools Kill Creativity? (https://vimeo.com/20146136)

The benefits of nurturing Creativity

Creativity is a vital skill for the 21^st century. Creative thinking allows us to solve problems, cope with change, innovate and connect with others. Engaging in creative thinking develops our whole brain, helps us to understand the world we live in and how we might contribute to our community.

Why is Creativity important for young children?

Creativity is important for young children because it provides a way for them to explore, discover and make sense of the world around them. It provides opportunities to express their thoughts and feelings without judgement, deal with stress, explore ideas, hypothesise, experiment, imagine and think deeply about all that they see, think and feel.

The creative process gives children the opportunity to try new things without being right or wrong. They can try, and try again.

Providing opportunities for children to be creative is critical for their development and well being. Being creative develops neural pathways and connections in the brain and requires the use of the whole brain. This provides a foundation for creative thinking, problem solving, social and emotional intelligence, well being and resilience.

Want to know more?

Check out the Cool Australia Factsheet: How can Educators and Families Nurture Creativity in Young Children?

Keep it fun. Try a new art form or medium each month and explore all sorts of ideas using that art form (try singing, dance, clay, puppetry, storytelling, painting, mosaics, weaving, video or photography, etc).

Lead by example. Show the children that it is fun to try new things and try out something new yourself.

Cater for all learning styles. We all learn differently so have a backup plan so that if some children are not engaged with one activity there is something else to capture their imagination and interest which uses a different part of the brain or body (an active physical activity and a visual or thinking activity).

Use all your senses. Creativity and imagination are fed through all your senses so make your creative activities sensory.

Make creativity part of everyday. Play some music during transition, meal or quiet times; incorporate actions, finger plays, role play or character voices when reading stories; provide loose parts and open ended toys rather than toys with one purpose or function; try some bath body or finger paint; or get creative with your cooking.

Ask open ended questions to encourage creative thinking. I wonder…. ?

Nurturing Creativity Activity: Imagination Lab and Fantastic Futures

Purpose:

This activity is designed to nurture creativity through imagination and making, developing the creative potential of young children through experiential learning in the arts. Making provides opportunities for children to develop skills in problem solving, futures thinking, systems thinking, building and construction, teamwork, and developing and communicating ideas.

Equipment needed:

An extensive supply of loose parts, such as:

Balls of different sizes and materials
Stones or pebbles
Cardboard tubes of different length and diameter
Ribbons or string
Fabric
Twigs or sticks
Pallets
Wheels
Buckets
Crates
Flowers
Seedpods
Logs
Sand
Blocks
Straw bales
Cushions
Nuts and bolts
Cardboard boxes
Art and craft materials such as scissors, glues, sticky tape, staplers, masking tape, blu-tac and so on
Other recycled materials, such as newspapers, ice-cream containers and egg cartons
Props, dress ups and posters
Pictures, magazines, books
A space you can dedicate to your Imagination Lab for an extended period of time.

Instructions:

This activity can be scaffolded to suit children of all ages and stages of development. It can be undertaken as a small or large group activity or for individuals.

Create an Imagination Lab – Fantastic Futures

An Imagination Lab is simply a space where children have the freedom and resources to imagine and create. You may need to dedicate this space over an extended period of time, allowing children to develop their ideas, collaborate and think deeply about what is important to them in creating their ‘Fantastic Future’. You can start by posing a question or providing a provocation based on anything, really. Here are some ideas to get you started:

I wonder what our world will be like in 50 years?
I wonder how things will move in the fantastic future? (Transport, people, animals, plants.)
I wonder what we will eat in the fantastic future?
I wonder how we will learn in the fantastic future?
I wonder how we will communicate with other people in the fantastic future?
I wonder how we will live in the fantastic future?
I wonder what we will do for fun in the fantastic future? (Hobbies, sports, relaxation.)
I wonder what kinds of jobs we will have in the fantastic future?
I wonder what kinds of pets we will have in the fantastic future?

This exercise of imagining a positive future is important for children. It sometimes seems as if there isn’t much good news associated with the state of the planet, especially when we consider what kind of world young children will inherit when they become adults and future leaders and decision makers. It provides great insight as to what they believe is important in order to create their ‘fantastic future’.

This activity may help educators and families to empower and encourage children to take action, and get involved in doing things that will bring that future to life. Enviroweek is an amazingly positive and empowering celebration of action that children, your service or your family can get involved with.

Ask children to make something that represents their ‘Fantastic Future’ (based on the provocations or questions posed). It may be a construction, a model, a painting, drawing, story, movie, collage, or anything else you can think of. They can come back to it as they think about it more and develop their ideas. They can work by themselves, with a partner, or as a group.

The really important part of this exercise is to discuss ways children can be empowered to take action, and be involved in the decision and actions that will have an impact on them.

Provocations:

I wonder what we need to do to make this fantastic future real? (Work backwards from the future to now.)
I wonder if we could do something as a group/individual to get things started?
I wonder who might be able to help us get started?
I wonder what else we need to find out?

Possible lines of development:

See if there are any common elements to the children's visions and identify some small actions the children can do as a group to move towards the vision for their ‘fantastic future’.
Document their ideas and creative representations of their Fantastic Futures, and make connections to the actions they are taking, or decisions they are making every day. It would be a great thing to look back on later …
Discuss similarities and differences in the children’s ideas for a ‘Fantastic Future’.
Discuss how much things have changed since you were a child (computers, internet, mobile phones, cars, jobs, sports, clothes, hairstyles, the local environment, etc.) This shows the children that things do change and that there are lots of opportunities to influence change.

Allocate a space where children can come and go, and opportunities for children to revisit and develop their ideas over time - this may get a bit messy and chaotic - but will be very creative!

Visit your local supplier of recycled art supplies or ask families to donate materials and loose parts.

Connect with groups or individuals in your community that might be able to help you undertake the actions you have identified towards achieving these ‘Fantastic Futures’.

Identify actions you can do in your service as part of your daily practice. You could even include them in your Quality Improvement Plan to help you embed sustainability.

Get involved in Enviroweek, National Recycling Week, National Tree Day, Earth Hour, or any other celebration that highlights actions for a sustainable future. Link your actions and activities back to the children’s vision for their ‘Fantastic Future’.

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning, listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenges and persisting when difficulties arise
Well being	Being involved

Nurturing Creativity - Imagination Lab

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