Does Montessori Support Creativity?

A study published in 2019 was one of a number that have aimed to determine whether Montessori education contributes to creativity in students. While continued research would be beneficial to learning more about whether or not it does, the findings were interesting and we thought you might want to learn about them.

What is creativity?

Creativity is a difficult concept to define, and even more difficult to measure. A general understanding of creativity is that it is the ability to generate independent and novel ideas that can be used to solve problems or create new contributions.

There are a number of traits of the Montessori environment that researchers identified as being potential contributing factors in terms of cultivating creativity. Many of the elements identified have been proven to be supporters of creativity in other studies as well. These factors include: 

• Emphasis on independence and choice

• Physical differences in the classroom environment

• Flexibility in regards to time

• Focus on intrinsic motivation

• Opportunities for collaboration

• A sense of control over one’s work and activities 

Study methods

The study, which took place over the course of the 2015-2016 school year, utilized data collected from two settings. 77 third graders at a public Montessori school in the United States and 71 third graders in a similar but traditional public school were participants.

There are a variety of evaluations that have been used in academic studies to measure creativity. Most of them focus on either divergent thinking (the ability to form novel ideas) or convergent thinking (the ability to synthesize and combine ideas). The researchers in this study decided to use an assessment that measures both divergent and convergent thinking (the Evaluation of Potential Creativity) in order to obtain a more complete collection of data. 

When a child participates in the test, there were three distinct steps:

1. View eight unrelated, random, abstract shapes and create a drawing that combines them.

2. View eight, unrelated, random, concrete pictures (such as a carrot) and create a drawing that combines them.

3. Tell a story about each drawing created.

Students were tested and retested with new images two weeks later in order to obtain a full sample of data. 

How does Montessori measure up?

As the authors of this study state, this research adds to the body of existing research and leads us to ask even more questions that might be explored moving forward.

Students in the two settings performed similarly in some areas, but there were two categories that stood out. While the Montessori students performed better overall, it was notable that there were obvious benefits for the male Montessori students. Additionally, the Montessori students performed significantly better on the divergent thinking portion of the assessment.

What does this mean? While this study could be repeated and built upon, there were some indications that a Montessori learning environment does foster creativity, particularly in some areas and for some students. It does add to the overall body of research that suggests Montessori schools aid in supporting creativity in students.

To learn more about Montessori and creativity, please take a few minutes to watch this video. Award-winning Montessori educator Judi Bauerlein discusses the links between Montessori and creativity, highlighting thoughts from famous Montessori graduates and connections between Maria Montessori’s work and what we

Make Art With Your Kids!

Looking for something fun to do with your kids?  Tapping into your creative side is a fun way to break the monotony while spending time together.  Feel like you’re not the artistic type?  No special skills or talent are needed to give these ideas a try…

Paint Some Mini Masterpieces

Image by Kristi Favaloro

Supplies: 

• Watercolor paper 
• Watercolor paints
• Tape (painter’s tape works best)
• Paintbrush
• Permanent marker

What to do:

1. Cut paper into small squares or rectangles (3”x3” is great!).
2. Use tape to create a small border around the edge, while also holding it to the table.
3. Use the marker to draw freeform shapes and lines.
4. Experiment with paint!  Watercolor is so fun and versatile.
5. When paint is dry, remove tape.

The key here is to experiment.  Watercolors are unique in that they don’t lay color down on the paper in just one way.  The possibilities are endless.  Tiny pieces of paper make the task more manageable for small fingers, and hanging these little paintings as a mosaic is simple and gorgeous.

Cook Up Some Playdough

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• (optional) food coloring, glitter, essential oils

What to do: 

1. Measure all ingredients into a saucepan (leave out any glitter until after it’s cooked).
2. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until dough begins to form a ball.
3. Allow dough to cool.

When playing with playdough, use your imagination!  Incorporate rolling pins, cookie cutters, kitchen utensils, beads, seashells, or whatever you think up!  Children love to play with playdough, and it’s so simple to make.

Printmaking in the Kitchen

Materials: 

• Fruit and vegetable scraps (more on that below)
• Washable paint (tempera works great)
• Paintbrushes
• Paper

What to do:

1. While preparing food, save any interesting produce scraps.  Cross sections tend to work best - think a halved apple, a bok choy base, or the skin or a particularly bumpy orange.
2. Put a bit of paint onto a plate.  Try using a few different colors!
3. Brush some paint onto the produce and press gently but firmly onto the paper.  

This super simple art activity allows even the littlest ones to feel independent, while indirectly learning about parts of plants.  Plus, they stay busy while you prepare dinner.  

Short on Time?

Try these quick ideas…

• Dry erase markers work great on windows and mirrors.
• Crayons on large boxes are a delight for kids (especially boxes big enough for them to fit inside after!)
• Cutting practice - give a preschooler a pair of scissors and an old magazine and let them at it!
• Too cold for sidewalk chalk?  Try it out on some black construction paper.
• Teach your child fun tricks you loved as a kid.  Handprint turkeys anyone?  Fingerprint creatures?  
• Small paper bags make perfect puppets.  Make one first to show them the basics, and see what they come up with.
• Use markers on a damp paper towel.  Watch the colors run and mix.

Remember: the mess is half the fun!  When we make art with children, it can be important to remind ourselves that the learning and the process are so much more important than the final product.  Have a great time making art and memories!