What does creativity look like in preschool? A multi-method examination of unity and diversity in preschoolers’ creativity

Creativity is a multifaceted construct that manifests itself in a variety of modalities. While previous research suggests that creativity is a diversified skill in school-aged children and adults, little is known about preschoolers’ creativity. This study aims to identify the structure of creativity in a sample of preschoolers (N = 83, M_age 4.40 years). We examined associations between three performance-based creativity measures and one parent-report measure of creativity. Findings from bivariate analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed substantive associations within and non-substantive associations between creativity tasks and parent-report items. Results provide preliminary evidence of diversity in performance-based assessments and unity in parent-report measures of preschool creativity. Results also showed inconsistent associations between performance-based and parent-report measures of creativity in preschool, suggesting measures are capturing different facets of preschoolers' creativity. These results shed light on the multidimensional structure of creativity, the validity of behavioural measures of creativity, and contribute to the conceptualization and assessment of creativity in early childhood.