The Role of an Early Childhood Teacher in Fostering and Enhancing Children’s Creativity Through Creative Play

This study aims to examine the involvement of an early childhood teacher (ECT) during creative play and how such involvement supports children’s creativity. Creative play offers children opportunities to develop creativity while engaging in arts-based play activities. An ECT’s active participation in children’s play can enhance their play skills and promote development within the Zone of Proximal Development. Using an action research approach, this case study involved sixteen children aged 4–6 years and their ECT. Data were collected through video recordings and the ECT’s reflective journal, focusing on two play areas: the Bakery and the Toy Factory. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis informed by creativity-related themes and subthemes. The findings highlight the ECT’s role as a co-player in children’s creative play, during which she employed a range of strategies aligned with different creativity variables, such as idea fluency, elaboration, and problem solving. Her purposeful participation evolved from supporting children with basic play actions to guiding them through more elaborate and complex creative processes. This progressive support enhanced children’s creativity within what we defined as the Zone of Proximal Creative Development (ZPCD). The teacher created the ZPCD, enhancing the children’s actual creativity development, moving from creation to creativity. Teachers’ intentional engagement enhances children’s creativity within their ZPCD, highlighting creative play as a valuable context for creativity development in early childhood education.