Whenever I talk about creativity, I like to link it to talent. Creativity is a universal and innate talent of the human being with which we can give solutions, create and recreate and travel to unimaginable places. During childhood, the capacity for creativity is present in a pure state, in adulthood the presence of creativity will depend on several factors. Creativity must be cultivated, trained, and put into practice.
Some people associate creativity with age. The younger you are, the more creative you are. But, certainly and from my experience, creativity is related to an attitude to which we add skills.
The secret of our creativity lies in our way of thinking and seeing the world. Having free thinking, not being afraid to express ourselves, and letting ourselves be carried away by our way of feeling and thinking will always condition our creativity.
If we are dreamers, we can see our dreams come true thanks to creativity. It is the perfect tool to make them come true. It would be the key factor and at the same time, the one less taken into account when creating.
When we feel inspired, creativity kicks into action. Sometimes, it can arise spontaneously and other times we can put it to work through stimulations that we have received.
In turn, inspiration activates motivation. Both are the perfect tandem to unleash creativity.
As an Early Years Teacher and a lover of creativity, I am committed to teaching that enhances the creative talent of students.
For this, it is essential to implement strategies for the development of creative potential.
How can I implement these strategies?
- First of all, you have to understand well what is the concept of creativity and which are the attitudes and behaviors that can favor it and which can hinder it.
- Secondly, the teacher's attitude is fundamental. You must be a teacher open to change, willing to step out of your comfort zone, and not afraid to take risks.
- Provide an environment where students can BE, themselves, freely, where curiosity and wonder are an essential part, where they can express themselves and be heard, where they can be the author of their imagination, where they can dream and see their dreams come true, where their originality is encouraged, where a space of tolerance and respect is created, where there is always time for humor, where each student is unique, where every day at school is a new adventure and where learning becomes something magical.
- To put creativity into action we need to be inspired and for that, we need to share experiences with other teachers. Sharing experiences should inspire and motivate us. It is the teachers' duty that creativity never stops flowing and that this explosion of neurons connecting, generating energy, radiant and magical colors, uniqueness, and beauty, never fades.
Spaces, environments, and materials to foster creativity
In an early childhood classroom and throughout the school day, creativity is always present. But if you want to create spaces that invite our students to be creative, I suggest some proposals:
Free play: Free play is creativity in its purest form.
- Circle time: I consider it one of the most important parts of the infant classroom routines in which we can develop countless concepts and areas. Creativity can be with us in a very simple way from start to finish, giving a safe space to the students, they can tell us stories about what they did the day before, something important going on in their life, made up stories. We can imagine sunny days when it is raining or vice versa, drawing in the air our classmate’s happy faces with our fingers. We can ask what happens to a student who is a little sad and try to brighten their day by all singing an improvised made-up song to them. Smelling imaginary flowers, wondering what the moon tastes like when tasting pieces of a round wafer, etc.
- 1.Art installations: Art installations are a way to enhance creativity. The teacher arranges in the classroom materials of different textures, shapes, and colors in geometric shapes creating a beautiful composition. The resulting composition will be a provocation for students who can play freely with the materials, mix them up, stack them, spread them, transport them, stretch them, tear them, etc. and where the teacher will play the role of the observer.
- Learning environments: Through learning environments, we can reorganize time and resources so that students can be grouped in smaller groups and even with students of different ages. In this way, they will achieve greater learning experiences, experimentation, play, manipulation, and research. The teacher will play the role of observer and mediator, which will allow the students to build their learning through play and their relationships with their classmates.
- Working by projects: working by projects will allow students to be creative, look for answers to their interests, accept mistakes as part of the learning process, solve situations and look for different solutions, and to reflect. All this will generate creative ideas, emotions, and motivation.
- Let us commit to a school where creativity is the base of all learning which allows us to go beyond the classroom challenging and encouraging the creativity of our students. I'm Laura Vela Toro Teacher of Early Childhood Education. 20 years of teaching. and 11 years running nursery schools. Master in Therapeutic Pedagogy. Expert in Early Care. Specialist in Emotional Education. 2nd Best Teacher of Early Childhood Education Awards Educa-Abanca 2018. Ambassador to Spain of the World Education Parliament (PAME). Solidarity Award 2018 Union of Garden City Food Solidarity Bank (recognition of my educational-solidarity work). Finalist in the awards IV Escuela Infantil (Pequeñas Miradas hacia hacia dentro). Founder and president of Early Years Settings Around the World (2021). Writer on the platforms Educando Seguro y Política y Educacion.