As educators and business people consider what children need to be successful in this rapidly changing society, creative and critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and persistence are recognized as the most important skills for success in education and the workforce. Among these, creative thinking is referred to most…

There is a myth that some people are creative and others are not. However, all children are born creative. They love to explore, ask questions, and are incredibly imaginative. Parents are key in nurturing their child's creativity in the early years. This article offers resources and strategies parents can use at different ages and stages (newborn,…

In his work, psychologist Benjamin Bloom concluded that almost all people can learn anything if provided with the right conditions, and that when a child commits to a talent area, parents must commit as well. Author Ken Kiewra studied real-world prodigies in various domains and shares his perspective on the conditions necessary for success and on…

The promotion of creativity in young children has been included in the agenda of the educational authorities in mainland China since 2001. Since then, attempts to implement this policy have appeared in different forms. The educational bureaux take measures by publishing documents and guidelines on the subject. While some kindergartens endeavour to…

Described is the Pillsbury Foundation School, designed to discover how creative music activity was provoked and generated in children, ages three to six, and how natural musicality could be developed in these young children. The author warns against repressing the deeply rooted natural musicality that young children inherit. (KC)

A teacher of a multiage K-1 class in Juneau (Alaska) weaves art and music throughout her lesson plans. She uses broad creative themes to teach the concepts and skills of the primary grades, and finds support in Alaska's content standards, which affirm that study of the arts is essential to a basic education. (TD)

What first graders chose to put in their journals when given no direct suggestions for topics was studied during the 1985-86 school year in a suburban Birmingham, Alabama, classroom. Journal writing was scheduled for 30 minutes daily throughout the school year, but not all children chose to write every day. At the end of the year, all of the…

A graduate class on creativity at the University of Massachusetts was based on a European preschool program which fosters young children's learning, representation, and expression through exploration and mastery of many symbolic media. The class documented nature explorations, repeated experiences to delve deeper into them, and integrated the…

In this special section on creativity and learning, several articles discuss practices of schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Topics include the role of reciprocity between child and adult in creative learning; the importance of play for adults; and ideas directors can use to help teachers translate creativity into classroom practice. (AC)

Describes the early childhood system in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in which educators (1) ensure that children live in "a community of well-being"; (2) create a supportive environment; (3) respect individual rhythms; (4) maintain work areas for the visual arts; (5) respond flexibly to children; and (6) foster peer support. (AC)

Describes a student project of the Anna Frank school for three to six year olds in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in which students developed creativity by exploring the world of dinosaurs. Underscores the reciprocity between children and teachers in guiding the project. (AC)

This collection of 18 essays and interviews documents the unique approach to early childhood education taken by schools in the Reggio Emilia region of Northern Italy for the last 30 years. The book is divided into four major parts. Part I includes an introduction by Carolyn Edwards and others, and the essay, "What Can We Learn From Reggio…

Drawing on existing work in the area of creativity and early years education, this paper maps the process of an exploratory study which sought to identify what characterizes "possibility thinking" as an aspect of creativity in young children's learning. With the aim of developing a framework for identifying "possibility…