Spirituality and creativity in the early childhood context

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article reports a study on the impact of a customised spiritual education programme (SEP) on improving creativity for kindergarteners. The SEP was effective, and participants (n = 529) scored higher on creativity domains of figural fluency, originality, elaboration, abstractness of titles, and resistance to premature closure, compared to the waitlist control group. Girls, kindergarteners whose primary caregiver parents had higher formal education (postgraduate degree or professional degree), and who attended at least 80% of the SEP sessions (10–12 sessions), scored higher on all creativity parameters. Results suggest that spirituality, whose core is abstract and nonmaterial thinking, can be linked to nurturing creativity as a developmental asset among young children. The SEP may need some refining for young boys by including more externalising activities and simpler, relatable instructions for kindergarteners whose primary caregiver parents have lower formal education. Findings generally suggest that spiritual training can potentially bolster kindergarteners’ creativity.