Enhancing creativity in a group of South African children.

A creativity programme was developed following results of previous studies on children in South Africa which indicated low creativity levels. The creativity programme was theoretically based on two models, namely Guilford’s Structure of Intellect Model (SOI) and an Interaction Thinking-Feeling Model: The Cognitive-Affective Interaction Model. These models were primarily used to address how creativity can improve, but also how creativity can enhance other aspects. Guilford’s Structure of Intellect Model refers to an interrelated classification of human abilities which will contribute to a child’s creative productivity, especially regarding creative thinking. Creative thinking can be subcategorised as fluent, flexible, original and elaborative thinking. In conjunction with these two models, the programme to enhance creativity in a group of South African children was developed. The group consisted of children from grade 4-7. The programme composed of four sections: coping, self-concept, problem-solving and creativity. Each section consisted of three dimensions. Dimension 1 refers to programme contents; dimension 2 is strategies used to help foster thinking and feeling behaviours and dimension 3 is behaviour. Each activity was explained by its creative thinking component and strategy. The activities consisted of strategies that will help foster feeling and thinking behaviours and the exercises primarily focused on cognitive aspects such as fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration. The programme lasted five weeks and an activity was presented each day for between fifteen to sixty minutes. The aim of this presentation would be to provide an outline and demonstration of this programme, discuss the results and effect of the programme and state the importance of implementing such a programme in children’s lives. Key words: creativity, South Africa, programme, enhancin