Fostering Creative Learning in Young Children

Using Multiple Intelligence Theory to Enhance Play and Exploration

May 3, 2009

Young children learn best from tactile experiences that engage the senses, stretch the imagination, and take advantage of their natural curiosity and innate abilities.

Young children’s innate abilities and creative tendencies need nurturing to develop to their full potential. Parents and caregivers can easily provide an environment that fosters creative growth and exploration without a lot of costly materials, toys, CDs, or DVDs. In fact, children’s natural talents may be better enhanced by avoiding many of those items, and opting instead for simpler play-based and child-centered activities designed to nurture a child’s multiple forms of intelligence.

Howard Gardner (1993) has identified seven forms of intelligence that should be fostered by parents, caregivers, and teachers: Linguistic, Musical, Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal. While two (Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical) are usually associated with intelligence, the others are typically considered talents, a distinction Gardner claims is unnecessary and misleading. Gardner views all seven as equivalent abilities, possessed on a spectrum, with each child having a unique pattern of capability across the seven domains.

Creativity and Multiple Intelligence Theory

Just as traditional views of intelligence have only encompassed two of Gardner’s identified domains (Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical), the creative arts typically refer to only Musical or Visual-Spatial intelligences. Encouraging creative exploration and play across all seven domains will help young children feel more confident when trying new activities or when combining elements of several domains into an activity that is uniquely theirs. The following are some ways to foster creativity in every domain:

Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

Linguistic creativity is fostered through oral and written word play, such as nursery rhymes, fingerplays, storytelling, early writing, making books, and the use of strategies such as the Language Experience Approach. Creative use of the logical-mathematical intelligence is fostered by the use of real processes such as measuring, estimating, counting, and figuring when shopping, cooking or building something with young children.

Musical and Visual-Spatial Intelligence

Musical creativity is fostered by listening to different music, singing, playing with musical instruments, and even drumming – a technique by which the listener taps out and even embellishes the rhythm of a song on a drum or other hard surface. Visual-Spatial creativity is fostered through the use of a variety of artistic techniques and materials to create drawings, paintings, collages, fabric art, mosaic, sculpture, and structures built from blocks or other building toys.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

To foster creativity in this domain, try dancing to a variety of genres of music, playing charades or Simon Says, acting or role-playing people or animals, and practicing simple athletics. In addition, give children the opportunity to physically manipulate objects and art materials as they create or build from their imaginations.

Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Intelligence

Creative use of Interpersonal intelligence (“people skills”) can be encouraged through any form of interactive, imaginative role-playing, such as playing house, store, or restaurant. Intrapersonal intelligence (knowing oneself) can be fostered simply by talking with young children about their likes and dislikes, asking their opinion and why they feel a certain way, and encouraging them to ask themselves questions about the choices they make each day.

Children learn and express themselves best through active involvement and engagement of all their senses. Giving preschoolers a strong foundation for creative and cognitive development, however, should not involve the use of passive materials like CDs or DVDs. Using Gardner’s multiple intelligences as a guideline, parents and caregivers can provide a variety of activities for young children that strengthen all domains and encourage their cognitive development and natural creativity in age appropriate ways.

Gardner, Howard. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books, 1993.

The copyright of the article Fostering Creative Learning in Young Children in Early Childhood Development is owned by Barbara Abromitis. Permission to republish Fostering Creative Learning in Young Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.