Review of the relationship between dramatic play and creativity in young children

Abstract

The relationship between dramatic play and creativity will be examined under three aspects: (1) from the existing theories related to this association; (2) from the research which has been done on this issue; and (3) from some situational factors of dramatic play related to this relationship, and specifically to the tutor's intervention and the use of materials (specific or non‐specific defined props). Most of the research that relates dramatic play to creativity falls into three categories: (a) correlationalstudies, where descriptive studies have tried to determine the relationship between dramatic play and creativity; (b) experimentalstudies, which use experimental controls in order to determine whether dramatic play has a causal role in the development of creativity; and (c) trainingstudies, which are special types of experimental studies, and where adults attempt to teach children how to engage in dramatic play, in order to enhance their creative performance. The tutored dramatic play and the nonspecific defined props that children use in their dramatic play seem to be the proper activities of enhancing young children's creativity. Finally, there are needs for more careful experimental designs in order to support the already existed relationship between dramatic play and creativity.

Key words:

• Young children
• creativity
• dramatic play
• relationship
• theories
• props