Creativity, Motivation, and Play: Intersections and Possibilities (original) (raw)

The Effect of Play on Subsequent Creativity

Research Proposal Only. Play is an elusive concept; both in its ability to be defined as well as to be researched (Whitebread, Coltman, Jameson & Lander, 2009). Many theorists and researchers including Johan Huizinga (1950), Jean Piaget (1962), Jerome Bruner and colleagues (1976), and others have long sought to not only clarify the essence of play, but to also understand its effect on development and well-being, as well as its ability to promote creative thinking (Ginsburg, 2007; Howard-Jones, Taylor & Sutton, 2002). Carl Rogers identified the first characteristic of a successfully creative person as having “the ability to play” (as cited in Gude, 2010). Along those same lines, is it possible that play can facilitate one’s creative abilities (Russ, 2003)? Indeed, previous research in this area has found substantial statistical evidence supporting this notion (Dansky & Silverman, 1973, 1975; Lieberman, 1977; Vandenberg, 1981). However, will this link between play and creativity sustain as the elementary student progresses into adolescence where self-consciousness reigns and play is no longer a primary focus? Research has found that when rules are imposed on play, children lose some of the creativity-enhancing benefits (Ginsburg, 2007). Students at this age can face their own set of rules or apprehensions for exploring creative interests including a desire to please the teacher, not understanding the purpose of creating, fearing judgment for inaccurate solutions, and fearing non-conformity amongst their peers (Gude, 2010). Yet, by playfully creating, it is possible that art can become a less self-conscious act where students are able to look within rather than outside themselves for answers (Szekely, 1996).

An inquiry into the development of creative imagination

Journal of playwork practice, 2014

This article presents a four-month experimental play project that studied the development of the creative imagination of 30 five-year-olds. Play offers a possibility for children to experience creative acts as performed within, and valued in, a play setting. To explore ways of supporting the development of playful initiatives, the children played (for approximately two hours a week for two months) with one of two types of material: social fantasy toys or creative construction toys. The children's attitudes towards playfully exploring the possibilities of these toys in the same toy pre-and post-sessions are related to variations in the toys. The different types of toys varied with regard to the access they provided for sharing creative experiences. The concept of transgression was used to capture change. To analyse the dynamics of play from the children's perspectives, playfulness was used to explore the development of playful initiatives. The richness of play scenarios is argued to be central to the development of playful attitudes among children. key words children's play • children's development • playfulness • transgression • research with children

Creativity and play in children

This research looks at conceptions of creativity and at thB question of its measurement in the broad context of psychological assessment and the potentialities of mental tests* It falls into three parts. The studies described in Pert 1 establish, by correlational and factorial techniques, that "creativity" implies an integrated range of abilities, represented by divergent thinking tests, which although related to intelligence in subjects of average I.Q., remains factorially distinct from it. This "dimensionality" issue is affected by individual differences in motivation which are aroused by the conditions of test administration; Part 2 looks at the effects of three situational factors on divergent test scores. The atmosphere in which they are administered (play-like as distinct from test-like), the modes of stimulus presentation (reel objects or verbal stimuli) end response (written or spoken) are shown to affect performance; it is concluded, however, that eituetionally-produced individual differences in motivation ere overridden by thoee existing in capacity. The reeearch described in Part 3 extends the study of the "playfulness" of test situetions by relating divergent test scares to measures of free play. The theoreticel justification for this relationship is elaborated in Chapter 6, and it ia tested empirically in Chapters 7 end 8 by studying children 1 s adaptations to the seme (initially novel) toys on four separate occasions and by observing thB effects of different play instructions. It is concluded that there are qualitative end quantitative differences in the ways in which children "learn through play", and that iv these are determined by individual differences in abilities such as divergent thinking. The issuee which are raised by mixing the psychometric conetruct system with one which doas not emphasise abilities are discussed in Chapter 9. The implicetions of this work for the "mental testing movement" are outlined, end some suggestions for further research...ere made.

Effects of a Play Program on Creative Thinking of Preschool Children

The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a play program in the creative thinking of preschool children. The study used a repeated measures experimental pretest-posttest design with control groups. The sample included 86 participants aged 5 to 6 years (53 experimental and 33 control participants). Before and after administering the program, two evaluation instruments were applied: The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1990) and Behaviors and Traits of Creative Personality Scale (Garaigordobil & Berrueco, 2007). The program consisted of a weekly 75-minute play session throughout the school year. ANOVA results showed that the program significantly increased the verbal creativity (fluency, flexibility, originality), graphic creativity (elaboration, fluency, originality), and behaviors and traits of creative personality. In the pretest phase, there were no differences in the creativity of boys and girls, and the program stimulated a similar level of change in both sexes. The discussion focuses on the importance of implementing creative programs with preschool children.

The Age of Imagination: Imagining Play and Invention: Implications for Creative Development

EDULEARN17 Proceedings, 2017

This paper presents findings from The Irish Neighbourhood Play Study; a national, cross-border research project which recorded children's play patterns in Ireland during 2012. The study incorporated 1688 families across 240 communities. Data was established on the play choices of children aged from birth to 14 years. Multiple differentials were explored including socioeconomic and geographical environments. This paper focuses on the findings within imaginary play patterns for the full cohort. As such, it presents the play patterns for imaginary play in children aged birth-14 years. The findings are discussed in the context of developmental patterns with particular emphasis on the relationship between imaginary play and the development of creativity. Creativity is a key concept within contemporary education. Its central nexus is problem solving in the face of uncertainty. Within a rapidly changing world, it is a key skill requirement for today's children as they grow towards efficacy within instability. The relationship between the development of creativity and children's engagement with imaginary play practices are explored in this paper.

Play, Learning, and Creativity

Playing With Possibilities, 2018

Many animals play, especially mammals and birds. Playing is an integral part of early development and contributes to how young animals learn. Playful behavior enhances the attributes important for creativity, which has been a powerful force in human evolution and is increasing in importance as the machines we create far outstrip the storage and computational capacities of the human mind. Though our collective and individual futures are now dependent on the refinement and enhancement of human creativity, there is, at best, a weak and inconsistent connection between this fundamental aspect of our natures and the ways we learn, especially in formal education structures. Play, and in particular a mood labelled “playfulness” that is associated with highly creative playing, will greatly benefit all formal education, including at the most advanced and specialized levels where it is currently rarely incorporated. Here I explore play and playfulness with an emphasis on how they contribute to human development and learning, make connections to ways of thinking about creativity from the perspective of embodied and socially extended concepts of mind, and advocate for the enhancement of creativity in higher education through the integration of play and playfulness into even the most advanced and specialized curriculum.

Unstructured Play and Creative Development in the Classroom

International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 2013

Unstructured play is thought to contribute to how children develop not only socially and academically but also creatively. It is during this time that children learn how to work together, adapt to different situations, experiment, explore, construct meaning, begin to learn what they like, what they are good at, and how to express their individuality. Structured learning tasks and play may expose children to situations where some of these skills can be nurtured, but the nature of these predetermined activities may limit the opportunity for individual expression and experience of unexpected outcomes necessary for creative discovery. In this paper we begin to lay the groundwork for ongoing research that is exploring the importance of unstructured play in how children develop creative thinking and behaviour skills, and the importance of these in their future. We describe a pilot study in which a typical classroom was observed to gain a better understand of how children engage in play activities in both structured and unstructured ways. We were interested in how during play activities children interact with each other, their supervisors, and their environment. This study will inform future research.

Constructive games increase children's creativity

Al-Athfaal: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini

Creativity has a negative impact if children's basic abilities are not developed early. Children's activities that still tend to be monotonous cause children to get bored easily. This study aimed to determine the level of creativity in early childhood through constructive games at Mutiara Hati Kindergarten, Bandar Lampung. The activities can positively influence children's creativity, so the happier children are in play, the better their creativity will be. This research is a case study research involving three teachers and 15 students. The data were collected through observation, interviews, and document analysis to be analyzed qualitatively using data reduction, display, and concluding. The results showed that children's creativity could be increased through constructive games where they can imagine carrying out these activities so that their creativity develops according to their age. Furthermore, constructive games give children the freedom to explore their poten...