As interest in creativity is rising, kindergarten teachers are looking for ways to strengthen the creative potential of young children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of music and movement activities to creative thinking in preschool children. A three month educational programme was designed and implemented, using an experimental research method. The effect on fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration of thought of 5 year old children, as well as how the programme affected creative behaviours, was studied. The results, upon completion of the educational programme, showed that the growth rate of these variables in the experimental group was statistically significant compared to the corresponding rates in the control group. In addition, the emergence of creative behaviours, such as an increased freedom of expression, a tendency to explore and experiment, and a questioning of what is commonly accepted, were considered to be a consequence of the implementation of the specific educational programme. The experimental research produced valuable information about the design and philosophy of educational programmes, and about the teaching methods of music and movement activities in kindergarten.
Amabile, T. M. (1982). The social psychology of creativity: A consensual assessment technique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 997-1013. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.43.5.997
Balke, E. (1997). Play and the arts: The importance of the “unimportant”. Childhood Education, 73, 353-360.
Birdi, K. S. (2005). No idea? Evaluating the effectiveness of creativity training. Journal of European Industrial Training, 29, 102-111. doi:10.1108/03090590510585073
Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.
Guilford, J. P. (1975). Creativity: A quarter century of progress. In Ι. Α. Taylor, & J. W. Getzels (Eds.), Perspectives in creativity (pp. 37-59). Chicago: Aldine.
Han, K., Marvin, C., & Walden, A. (2003). Searching for an alternate way to identify young creative minds: A classroom-based observation approach. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 28, 1-17. doi:10.1177/073724770302800201
Harrington, D. M. (1990). The ecology of human creativity: A psychological perspective. In M. A. Runco, & R. S. Albert (Eds.), Theories of creativity (pp. 143-170). London: Sage Publications.
Hosseini, S. A., & Watt, P. A. (2010). The effect of a teacher professional development in facilitating students’ creativity. Educational Research and Reviews, 5, 432-438.
Howard-Jones, P. A., Taylor, J., & Sutton, L. (2002). The effects of play on the creativity of young children. Early Child Development and Care, 172, 323-328. doi:10.1080/03004430212722
Kerr, B., & Gagliardi, C. (2003). Measuring creativity in research and practice. In S. J. Lopez, & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Positive psychological assessment: A handbook of models and measures. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/10612-010
Kiehn, M. T. (2003). Development of music creativity among elementary school students. Journal of research in Music Education, 51, 278-288. doi:10.2307/3345655
Kyung-Hee, K. (2006). Critique on the torrance tests of creative thinking. Creativity Research Journal, 18, 3-14. doi:10.1207/s15326934crj1801_2
Leonidou, Ch. (2005). The introduction of creative and critical thinking at school. Study on the course Sociology of Education. Athens: Faculty of Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Morin, L. B., (2001). Cultivating music play: The need for changed teaching practice. General Music Today, 14, 24-29.
Niland, A. (2009). The power of musical play: The value of play-based, child-centered curriculum in early childhood music education. General Music Today, 23, 17-21. doi:10.1177/1048371309335625
Oppenheim, A. N. (1992). Questionnaire, design, interviewing and attitude measurement. London: Pinter Pub Ltd.
Polland, M. (1994). The evaluation of creative behaviors. Opinion Papers. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Educational Resources Information Centre, 1-39.
Rose, L. H., & Lin, H. T. (1984). A meta-analysis of long-term creativity training programs. Journal of Creative Behavior, 18, 11-22. doi:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1984.tb00985.x
Russ, S. W, Robins, A. L., & Christiano, B. A. (1999). Pretend play: Longitudinal prediction of creativity and affect in fantasy in children. Creativity Research Journal, 12, 129-139. doi:10.1207/s15326934crj1202_5
Santanen, E. L., Briggs, R. O., & Vreede, G. J. De (1999). A cognitive network model of creativity: A renewed focus on brainstorming methodology. Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Information Systems, Charlotte, NC.
Segal, M. (2001). Creativity and personality styles: Tools for understanding and inspiring the many voices of creativity. Huntington Beach, CA: Telos Publications.
Singer, D. G., & Singer, J. L. (1990). The house of make-believe: Children’s play and the developing imagination. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Slade, A., & Wolf, D. (1994). Children at play. New York: Oxford University Press.
Smirhrim, K. L. (1997). Free musical play in early childhood. Canadian Journal of Research in Music Education, 4, 17-24.
Sternberg, R. J. (2003). Creative thinking in the classroom. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 47, 325-338. doi:10.1080/00313830308595
Swanwick, K. (1988). Music, mind and education. New York: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203402894
Tarnowski, S. M. (1999). Musical play and young children. Music Educators Journal, 86, 26-29. doi:10.2307/3399573
Torrance, E. P. (1974a). Torrance tests of creative thinking. Directions manual and scoring guide. Figural Test Booklet B. Lexington, ΜΑ: Personnel Press.
Torrance, E. P. (1974b). Torrance tests of creative thinking. Directions manual and scoring guide. Verbal Test Booklet B. Lexington, ΜΑ: Personnel Press.
Torrance, E. P. (1966a). Torrance tests of creative thinking. Directions manual and scoring guide. Figural Test Booklet A. Lexington, British Library: Personnel Press.
Torrance, E. P. (1966b). Torrance tests of creative thinking. Directions manual and scoring guide. Verbal Test Booklet A. Lexington, British Library: Personnel Press.
Torrance, E. P. (1966c). Torrance tests of creative thinking. Norms-technical manual. Lexington, ΜΑ: Personnel Press.
Torrance, E. P. (1965). Rewarding creative behavior: Experiments in classroom creativity. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall Inc.
Treffinger, D. J. (1993). Stimulating creativity: Issues and future directions. In S. G. Isaksen, M. C. Murdock, R. L. Firestein, & D. J. Treffinger (Eds.), Nurturing and developing creativity: The emergence of a discipline (pp. 8-27). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Treffinger, D., Young, G., Selby, E., & Shepardson, C. (2002). Assessing creativity: A guide for educators. Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.
Woodhead, M., Faulkner, D., & Littleton, K. (Eds.) (1999). Making sense of social development. Patra: Hellenic Open University.
Xanthakou, C. (1998). Creativity in school. Athens: Ellinika Grammata.
Xanthakou, C., & Kaila, Μ. (2002). The creative problem solving. Athens: Atrapos.