What is Creativity and Why is it Important for Preschoolers?
The "Father of Creativity", E. Paul Torrance, defined creativity as "t he process of sensing problems or gaps in information, forming ideas or hypotheses, testing and modifying these hypotheses, and communicating results ". Simply put creativity can be described as the ability to generate new and useful ideas, solutions, and products. Creativity and creative thinking is often associated with the arts, but it is a valuable skill in all areas of life from business and personal relationships to science and every day problem solving. Children are naturally creative because they have not yet learned to limit their thinking and imagination. Their minds are free to explore new ideas and possibilities without the constraints of past experiences, preconceptions, or self doubt. Unfortunately enough, it is the adults in children's lives that teach them to stifle their creativity . Negativity, harsh judgements, and criticisms can have negative effects on a child's cr...