Introduction. The article is devoted to the substantiation of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the process of formation of creative self-expression skills in preschool children in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity, which allow to identify patterns and principles, as well as prospects for the development of the studied direction in the pedagogy of preschool childhood. Methodology. The article provides an analysis of the content of key methodological provisions based on the analysis of scientific sources on the problem of research, as well as general scientific methods of analysis, generalization and synthesis. Results. The article analyzes the “mechanisms” of the formation of creative self-expression skills in children of preschool and primary school age in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity; a detailed justification of the three selected approaches (systemic, culturological, subject-activity) and principles (cultural conformity, dialogic, integrative artistic and aesthetic development of reality, emotional openness, value-semantic orientation of artistic and aesthetic activity, empathic interaction, polysubjectivity), which form the methodological basis of the study, is presented. Conclusions. For the first time, the paper reveals the initial methodological foundations of the process of formation of creative self-expression skills in preschool children in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity, making a significant contribution to the expansion of scientific ideas about the creative self-disclosure of a child by means of artistic and creative activity. The expediency of using systemic, culturological, subject-activity approaches as a methodological basis for the formation of creative self-expression skills in older preschool children in the process of artistic and aesthetic activity is substantiated. It is shown how the general ideas of these approaches are implemented through the holistic implementation of a number of provisions and principles.