Enhancing Children's Creativity in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Systematic Review and Multivariate Meta-Analysis of Studies Between 1969 and 2019

This study integrates evidence on the effectiveness of interventions within early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings that aimed to promote the development of creativity in young children, from birth to six years of age. The search was conducted in PsycINFO, ERIC, Education Source, and Child Development and Adolescent Studies, resulting in 24,572 studies. From this pool, 44 studies with 45 samples were deemed eligible for the systematic review, and 32 met criteria for the meta-analysis. Collectively, these studies were based on 5,817 children. A total of nine creativity domains (i.e., originality, fluency, imagination, creativity total score, elaboration, pretend play, flexibility, creative characteristics, and curiosity and exploration) were found across studies in the systematic review. Of these creativity domains, eight were included in the meta-analysis. The multivariate meta-analysis for the pooled effects revealed moderate to large effects (Cohen's d = 0.70-0.94) for originality, fluency, elaboration, and imagination. No significant pooled effects were found for flexibility, pretend play, creative characteristics, and total creativity scores. Findings suggest that creativity can be effectively fostered through structured, intentional interventions, particularly those implemented in small groups, that incorporate drawing and imaginative tasks and are situated in well-designed learning environments. To support the development of children's creativity in ECEC settings, educators and curriculum designers are encouraged to integrate arts-based, hands-on activities that promote elaboration and imaginative thinking.