The relationship between creativity, social play, and children's language abilities

Abstract

In this study, we explore the interconnectedness between children's creativity, social play, and language abilities. The participants were 225 (109 girls, 116 boys) preschool children, from diverse European American, African American, and Hispanic ethnic heritages. We assessed the children in three ways. First, each child completed the Goodenough Harris Draw a Person task as a measure of creativity. Second, we recorded observations of children's social play using time sampling techniques and Howes and Matheson's Peer Play Scale. Finally, performance on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-IV) served as a measure of receptive vocabulary. Correlation analyses revealed a clear relationship between certain types of social play and creativity. For example, higher incidences of solitary, onlooker, and parallel aware play appeared to connect to lower creativity scores. In addition, children's receptive or hearing vocabulary related to specific types of social play, that is, higher instances of parallel play led to lower receptive language scores. In addition, setting shaped language abilities. For example, in one setting, complex relates to increased vocabulary abilities. In contrast, in another setting, simple social and parallel play relates to lower language scores. These findings suggest a positive relationship between children's language abilities, creativity, and play. Such studies help inform classroom curriculum and practice.