Creative Thinking Development and EYFS Learning in Early Childhood

This essay discusses the importance of creative thinking in early childhood education, particularly within the framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in the UK. It highlights how EYFS sets standards for children's learning and development from ages 0 to 5, emphasizing key areas like communication, physical development, literacy, and expressive arts. The essay explores how creative thinking skills, encompassing problem-solving and innovative approaches, are fostered through various activities and learning environments. It also delves into the Montessori approach, which focuses on individual needs and optimized environments to promote creativity. Furthermore, the essay emphasizes the role of outdoor activities, creative use of materials, and specific curriculum aspects like movement, music, and visual arts in enhancing creative development. The concept of sustained shared thinking is also discussed as a means to stimulate brain development and innovative ideas. The importance of trust between children and teachers, as well as the teacher's role in creating a positive environment and providing suitable tools, are highlighted. The essay concludes that promoting creative thinking comprehensively covers the main areas of learning outlined by EYFS, aiding in cognitive, social, and emotional development, and fostering problem-solving skills and positive interaction.

0Running head: CREATIVE THINKING
Creative Thinking
Name of the Student
Name of University
Author’s note

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According to the Government of UK (2017), The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
sets the standards of learning, care and development of children from 0 to 5 years. The main
areas of learning that has been highlight by the EYFS include language andcommunication
development, physical development, literacy, social, personal and emotional development,
creative skills in mathematics, a proper understanding about the concept of the world and
growing skills in expressive arts and design. Proper development of all these skills as mentioned
under the banner of EYFS promotes creative thinking capability of the child. According to the
reports published by Davies et al. (2013), creative thought process, creative problem-solving
skills, thinking in a creative manner, the art of creative learning and the possibility of thinking in
an innovative or creative approach belong to the general category of “creative thinking skills”.
This “creative thinking skills” have both practical and cognitive elements.
Creative thinking or creativity in thinking helps in the generation of new ideas among the
children. It also helps them to find and discover new and innovative ways of doing things while
giving the children confidence and motivation to take risks (Wang, 2012). In the Montessori
training approach, creative thinking is promoted via focusing on the child’s individual’s need.
This focus on the individual need is done via seeding optimised environment and this optimised
environment help in promoting the creative thinking skills of the child (Craft, McConnon&
Matthews, 2012). According to Davies et al. (2013), there are reasonable evidences across
numerous studies that taking students outside of their class rooms and working with them in an
outdoor set-up can foster creative development. This outdoor set-up must be favourable for the
children. The reason behind this is associated with the ownership and collaboration. Research
carried by Bancroft et al. (2008), elucidated that taking an initial walk, whether in a rural or

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urban settings can provide an enriched context for the purpose of elucidating a child’s schemas
along with interest on which the Montessori teacher can build to increase their creativity.
Other activities which are found increasing the creative thinking ability of a child include
creative utilization of the red rods for designing of the Christmas tree help in the sensorial
development in child which in turn promotes creative thinking ability. Plastic colorful building
blocks use to make a ridge or building also promotes the creative view point of a child.
According to the reports published by Verdine et al. (2014), interlocking block construction
promotes spatial assembly skills in children which have a significant impact not only on the
creative thinking skills but also on the mathematical skills.
Other specific areas of aspect of creative curriculum which are undertaken by Montessori
teacher to promote the creative development include movement and dance, music, visual art,
imaginative role and taking part in drama. This cumulative activity promotes the development of
gross motor skills, sustained thinking and thereby promoting towards creative thinking
(Bredekamp, 2016). This concept of sustained shared thinking is proposed by Siraj Blachford.
According to him, sustained shared thinking promotes the development of the brain which
enables the children to develop innovative ideas thereby helping them to increase their horizon of
knowledge (Craft, McConnon & Matthews, 2012).
The importance of Montessori in assisting the creative skill development of the children
lies in the fact that Montessori talks a lot about the trust between the children and teachers and
this trust help in the generation creative thinking skills among the children via gaining a
confidence in them that they can take risk (Bredekamp, 2016). The Montessori teacher also track

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the progress of the creative thinking of the children thus taking a critical review of the skill
development process as per the EYFS guidelines stated by the Government of UK.
The main role of the Montessori teacher while assisting a child towards the development
of creativity is to first create a positive environment based on the age band of the child is will be
followed by open ended question allowing the freedom fo speech. This freedom of speech will
help the child to gain proficiency in language and communication thus satisfying the goals of
EYFS. The development of language and communication power further helps in the
development of expressive language, imaginary language and sharing of creative ideas. Apart
from freedom of speech, the educator will also be responsible to provide the child with suitable
tools which will aid in creative development and sustained shared thinking. However, these tools
need to be creative and fresh (Bredekamp, 2016).
Creativity also supports various other aspects of a child’s development. Gross motor skill
is one of main domain of development that is shaped up along with the training for the creative
skills. Creative activity which assists in the development of the gross motor skills include ribbon
painting, dancing along the music, painting with wheels and playing imaginary
roles(Peet&Hartwick, 2015). This development of the gross motor skills in turn help in the
overall promotion of the physical development via generating proper hand eye co-ordination,
development of sensory motor skills and fine motor skills. Other aspects of the EYFS that are
covered under the banner of creative thinking skills of a child is the development of cognitive
thinking ability along with social and emotional development (Peet & Hartwick, 2015). The
cognitive ability increases the problem solving skills and thereby aiding towards the
development of creative thinking. Social and emotional development helps the child to connect
with the environment leading to productive interaction and thus helping in the development of

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creativity. This social and emotional development aid the child to work on their self-esteem and
thereby helping to gain confidence towards positive interaction (Bridges, 2017).
Thus from the above discussion it can be concluded that the main areas of learning which
are highlight by the EYFS is comprehensively covered via promotion of the creative thinking
ability of the child under the controlled supervision of an educator.

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References
Bancroft, S., Fawcett, M., & Hay, P. (2008). Researching children researching the world: 5 × 5 ×
5 = creativity. Trentham: Stoke-on-Trent
Bredekamp, S. (2016). Effective practices in early childhood education: Building a foundation.
Boston: Pearson.
Bridges, K. M. B. (2017). The social and emotional development of the pre-school
child.Routledge.
Craft, A., McConnon, L., & Matthews, A. (2012). Child-initiated play and professional
creativity: Enabling four-year-olds’ possibility thinking. Thinking Skills and
Creativity, 7(1), 48-61.
Davies, D., Jindal-Snape, D., Collier, C., Digby, R., Hay, P., & Howe, A. (2013). Creative
learning environments in education—A systematic literature review. Thinking Skills and
Creativity, 8, 80-91.
Government of UK (2017).Early Years Foundation Stage. England Retrieved from:
https://www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage
Peet, R., &Hartwick, E. (2015). Theories of development: Contentions, arguments, alternatives.
Guilford Publications.
Verdine, B. N., Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh‐Pasek, K., Newcombe, N. S., Filipowicz, A. T., &
Chang, A. (2014). Deconstructing building blocks: Preschoolers' spatial assembly
performance relates to early mathematical skills. Child development, 85(3), 1062-1076.

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Wang, A. Y. (2012). Exploring the relationship of creative thinking to reading and
writing. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7(1), 38-47.