Creativity and Creation in Early Childhood and Preschool Education Curriculum

Abstract

A contemporary early childhood education curriculum is defined as a theoretical concept that is, in educational practice, constructed and co-constructed based on mutual learning, research, and participation of all participants in the educational process. This is why it is important to arrange different conditions for various activities that enable creative thinking and expression, in which children can participate. In this sense, creativity is not interpreted as a special part of curriculum, but a component of the overall educational process, which is pervasive in all segments of the curriculum. In educational practice, awareness of the values of creative expression in children is not sufficiently developed nor appropriately utilized in curriculum development, as the possibilities of its use have not been sufficiently explored. Therefore, this paper aims to contribute to the understanding and acknowledgement of children’s natural, innate creativity, which needs to be nurtured, encouraged, and developed as part of educational process, as well as to deeply consider organizational conditions and work of kindergarten teachers.

Keywords:  child; curriculum; kindergarten teacher; constructivism and co-constructivism