Art education, which contributes to a wide range of activities from supporting children's fine motor development to increasing aesthetic sensitivity, is a basic learning area that supports children's creativity and strengthens their sensory and cognitive development in the preschool period. The purpose of the research is to create a roadmap for…

This book is an exploration of story and its importance in early childhood. It provides a thorough theoretical foundation, and considers how to practically implement the use of stories to aid children's wellbeing and holistic development. The chapters cover topics including cognitive and emotional development, creativity, play, mathematics,…

This article seeks to provide researchers and practitioners in laboratory education, particularly those involved in the curriculum design and implementation of teaching laboratories at university level, with a conceptual framework and a working model for an integrated assessment of learning domains, by attending to a more holistic approach to…

Explores the notion of imaginative development. Defines imagination through a review of literature of music, religion, and aesthetics. Suggests that imagination precedes creativity and involves perception, intuition, thinking, and feeling. Describes a developmental sequence based on research. Proposes ways to cultivate imagination through music.…

Explains how teachers of students in grades four through six can use the Teaching Games for Understanding Approach and incorporate games invention into the physical education curriculum. A three-step model is proposed: selection and modification of games; teaching games with an understanding approach; and student invention of games. Summaries of…

Discusses the principles of art and provides activities that correlate art and reading and promote cognitive and affective development. (HTH)

This article reviews the evidence on the relationship between the two brain hemispheres and creative cognitive processes. It concludes that claims about creativity being "in" one or the other hemispheres represent an uncritical acceptance of naive pseudoscientific beliefs about the brain and brain function. (DB)

Suggested are activities that might stimulate cognitive thought in students and which can be performed both in school and at home. (EB)

The view of musical creativity as spanning a continuum from the noises of the unschooled young child to the artistry of the trained professional fails to account for fundamental, developmental differences in the creators' perspectives. This paper seeks to distinguish two ways in which the creative functioning of the child or novice differ from…

Reported are studies designed to identify art and art-related experiences that enhance or reinforce cognitive development among kindergarten and first-grade children. These studies focus on conceptual thinking through transfer of image, creating thinking through clayforming, oral language through painting experiences, and letter recognition and…

Discusses the use of natural materials to enrich the learning of hospitalized, emotionally disturbed children. (SDH)

Drama is a means to develop imagination and empathy. Simulated experiences can affect profoundly one's judgment and understanding, adding insights and expanding the frame of reference. The name game is a good beginning exercise, especially if participants do not know one another. Each player states his or her name and a favorite object that begins…

This paper formulates guidelines for the design of children's play environments to optimize children's creativity during play. The paper defines "play," discusses Jean Piaget's work on cognitive adaptation, discusses creativity in the context of cognitive adaptation, and proposes designs for play environments to produce behavioral adaptation that…

Examines biological and environmental determinants of creative/divergent thinking in light of two studies--one showing an inverse relationship between serum uric acid and divergent thinking and one showing a positive correlation between family size and creativity in upper socioeconomic status groups. Outlines classroom practices that promote…

The Mozart Effect is defined as the ability of Mozart's music to temporarily heighten listeners' spatial awareness and intelligence, to improve listeners' concentration and speech abilities, and to advance reading and language skills. This book provides information about the ways in which the rhythm and tone components of music can enhance…