Nurturing Creativity: An Essential Mindset for Young Children's Learning

by Rebecca Isbell, Sonia Akiko Yoshizawa

Overview

Inspiring and supporting innovative thinking

Young children have great capacity for creativity that thrives when it is nurtured. Early childhood teachers have the opportunity to inspire children’s innovative thinking and doing by:

• Including creative opportunities across all domains of learning 
• Designing a beautiful space that encourages children’s experimentation and play 
• Extending children’s learning and challenging their thinking 
• Documenting children’s thought processes and displaying their work Involving families and the community in children’s creative endeavors 
• Reflecting on your beliefs and practices about creativity and nurturing your own creativity 

 Learn how to support children as they problem-solve, explore and share new ideas, and collaborate with others, and watch their confidence and capableness grow.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938113802
Publisher:	The National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Rebecca Isbell is an early childhood consultant and professor emerita of early childhood education at East Tennessee State University. She has authored numerous books and articles and presents on topics related to young children, creative thinking, storytelling, and the creative arts.

Sonia Akiko Yoshizawa is a PhD fellow in early childhood education at East Tennessee State University. A coauthor of STEM Learning with Young Children: Inquiry Teaching with Ramps and Pathways, she conducts inquiry-based STEM trainings and presentations for teachers.

Read an Excerpt

During the early years, young children are continually demonstrating their amazing creative abilities (Kelley&Kelley 2013). Throughout their day, they form new, neverbefore- heard words, design towering structures as symbols of their world, compose musical lyrics to accompany their activities, create fanciful stories where they decide what happens, and solve challenging problems. This is a grand period for young creative thinkers! But can they maintain this amazing creative thinking throughout their lifetime? As adults, they will need to be innovative in their work environment and become creative collaborators who can solve global problems; however, between the early years and adulthood, many children become less confident in their creative abilities and more hesitant to try new things (Kelley&Kelley 2013). During this journey, will they find a passion that will nurture their creative thinking? Let us investigate together how we can nurture young children’s creative confidence so they can maintain these remarkable abilities now and throughout their lives.

Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1: What Is Creative Thinking and Why Do We Need It Now? Chapter 2: Understanding the Creative Process Chapter 3: The Environment: A Look Inside Classrooms That Inspire Creativity Chapter 4: Characteristics of Creative Children and Adults Chapter 5: What Is the Teacher’s Role? Chapter 6: The Role of Play in Creativity Chapter 7: Extending Thinking With Materials Chapter 8: Displaying and Documenting Children’s Work Chapter 9: Expanding the Community of Support Epilogue References About the Authors Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

"This valuable book makes the case that many schools today may be reducing or eliminating the conditions that foster innovation. Drawing inspiration from many theories and exemplars, the authors clearly and vividly describe creativity and originality in the early years and how to cultivate this distinctive way of thinking, knowing, and making choices." —Carolyn Pope Edwards, Cather Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

"Let’s continue to foster children’s creativity! This book offers concrete ideas for challenging children’s thinking and encouraging them to take risks. The authors lay an important foundation for nurturing future generations of innovative thinkers." —Noelle Woytko, Lead Preschool Teacher, Children’s Village, Philadelphia

"Through a delightful combination of practical insight, evidence-centered examples, and a firm basis in learning research and theory, the authors of Nurturing Creativity show a deep respect for young children, as well as for educators as active and thoughtful designers of young children’s learning environments and experiences." —Lisa Brahms, Director of Learning & Research, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh

"Journey into the realm of creativity, where children and teachers try new ideas and grow into creative, critical thinkers who are free to make mistakes and encouraged to learn from them. Guiding questions help readers see possibilities that will spark children’s curiosity and invite exploration. Specific tips, such as a list of phrases that support creative thinking, guide readers in nurturing creativity." —Peggy Ashbrook, Early Childhood Science Educator and Author of Science Learning in the Early Years: Activities for PreK–2

"Teachers will love the practical tips on how to nurture creative confidence and foster joyful learning!" —Jennifer Cooper, Director, Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts

From the Publisher