Nurturing Creativity: An Essential Mindset for Young Children’s Learning
About the Book
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. Watch their confidence and capabilities grow!
Book Details
ISBN: 978-1-938113-21-5
Publish Date: 2016
Extras!
Watch a recorded webinar about the importance of creativity and how to help children develop it presented by the authors of this book, Rebecca Isbell and Sonia Akiko Yoshizawa
Enrich Your Curriculum: Purchase the Module!
The HOT: Creativity online module will engage your creativity and explore how technology can be incorporated into creative classroom experiences. This 1-hour, interactive and self-paced module focuses on the inherent value in open ended art experiences, how technology can be incorporated into creative classroom experiences, how HOT (higher order thinking) skills can be facilitated through teacher interaction, and more.
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
Directors and early childhood teachers will find many pathways in this book for increasing creativity and deepening children’s engagement. The authors meet anyone who works with young children where they are and invite them to experiment with introducing small changes to their teaching and classroom environment. A perfect book for welcoming more creative approaches into your classroom!
—Cathy Weisman Topal, Research Associate, Smith College, and author (with Lella Gandini) of Beautiful Stuff: Learning With Found Materials
