Children's creativity in day care

Abstract

In this research, children's creativity in pretend play and the conditions for creativity during high involvement are studied from four points of view: as a zone for proximal development, as a skill, as a personal orientation and as a culturally shared environment creation. The theoretical model is influenced by Vygotsky's ideas of creativity as cultural mediation. The research methods are systematic observation and skill evaluation. The participants are 280 Finnish four- to five-year-old children in day care. The results highlight the importance of play both by sheer volume and also by children's involvement in it. Children's internalised skills result in personal choices and a personal network of peer contacts. The different choices result in different creative culture production environments. Creative children attract each other and they meet in creative social processes. However, less creative children get excluded from the creative core. Thus, children who need creative scaffolding the most get it the least. The possibilities of involving children in creative processes are discussed.

Keywords:

• creativity
• pretend play
• early childhood
• education
• Vygotsky

Notes on contributors

Jyrki Reunamo, PhD, is a docent and university lecturer at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His research interests include early childhood, research methods, IT, sustainable education, physical education and language. He is the director of the Orientation project (http://blogs.helsinki.fi/orientate/), an early childhood research and development project. Reunamo's list of publication is at http://www.helsinki.fi/~reunamo/article/lto-art.htm.

Hui-Chun Lee studied her PhD in England during 1996–2002. She has been a vice professor since 2003. During her academic career, she has five years of experience as a head in a government-owned, university run day-care centre. Her special interests are teacher's professionalism and knowledge to practise in the early years’ Educare. She has participated in the Finnish-Taiwanese research project since 2009 and moved her career to Tzu-Chi University in 2011.

Li-Chen Wang, PhD, is an associate professor of the Department of Child Education and Care at Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Her academic disciplines include early childhood education, curriculum studies and bilingual education. She holds a PhD in Curriculum Studies from the Kent State University, Ohio, USA. Dr Wang's research interests focus on children agency, sociolinguistic studies and outdoor play in preschool.

Inkeri Ruokonen, PhD, is an adjunct professor and university lecturer. She works at the University of Helsinki, Department of Teacher Education in a Research Group for Education, Cultures and the Arts (ECA). Her research and scientific activities are music education, early childhood education, intercultural arts education, learning environments, creativity and design learning.

Teemu Nikkola is a master of education who made his master's thesis on children's creativity using the data described in the article. He is working as a day-care centre director in Loppi, Finland.

Sanna Malmstrom is a master of education who made her master's thesis on children's involvement using the data described in the article. She is working as an Early Education Specialist in the city of Espoo in Finland.