Promoting creativity in early childhood education

• Creative thinking and using imagination. This stage, in which imagination is unlimited, is a stage that should not be missed to promote creativity and creative thinking skills. For most children, creativity is at its peak before the age of six (T1). • The preschool stage is a world during which imagination and cognitive skills are unlimited. Developing this world starts with discovering the creative thinking of the child (T14). • It is important because the children can learn to express themselves (T19). • Children who have creative thinking skills also develop their communication skills (T23). • It is important to promote creative thinking so that they can find authentic solutions to problems (T8). • Helping students to form cause- effect relationships plays a very important role in children’s discovering their talents. Children who have creative thinking skills also develop their skills for communication, problem solving, practice, following instructions, and starting and maintaining projects (T23). • The Opinions of Preschool Teacher Candidates on the First Theme The opinions of teacher candidates’ preschool children on the prominence of creativity and creative thinking in preschool children are presented below: When Table 4 is studied, it may be said that the preschool teacher candidates participating in the study mostly focused on the following categories on the prominence of creativity and creative thinking in preschool education: • It helps the child to create a different point of view • It develops the problem-solving skills of the child

• It affects the child’s life • It develops the child’s imagination • Creativity and creative thinking are very important in the preschool stage The categories least mentioned by teacher candidates for the theme ‘the prominence of cre- ativity and creative thinking’ were the following: • It enables the child to discover and get to know herself/ himself Table 4. The opinions of teacher candidates on the prominence of creativity and creative thinking in the pre- school stage. Theme 1: Awareness for creativity Subthemes for the First Theme Different point of view Discovering oneself Problem solving Promoting imagination Effect on the development of the child Support for the child’s learning Understanding the child Being able to express oneself https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294915.t004 PLOS ONE Creativity in early childhood PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294915 December 6, 2023 9 / 21