The importance of promoting young children's creative thinking, and the social relationships which support it, is now seen as a vital element of good early childhood practice. The authors push forward our understanding of what young children's creative thinking is, and how it promotes young children's well-being. By drawing on research evidence, they examine key issues from the perspectives of the child, the parents or carers, and early childhood practitioners and make links between theory and practice.

Introduction - Hiroko Fumoto and Sue RobsonPART ONE: CREATIVE THINKING, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD PRACTICEWhat Do We Mean by Creativity and Creative Thinking? - David J. HargreavesCreative Thinking in Early Childhood - Sue RobsonSocial Relationships in Early Childhood - Hiroko Fumoto and Sue GreenfieldPART TWO: EXPLORING PERSPECTIVES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCHChildren's Voices: Young Children as Participants in Research - Sue RobsonInvolving Parents in Research - Sue GreenfieldResearchers and Practitioners Collaborating on Research - Hiroko FumotoPART THREE: EXPERIENCES OF YOUNG CHILDREN, PARENTS AND PRACTITIONERSChildren's Experiences of Creative Thinking - Sue RobsonParents' Experiences of Supporting Children's Creative Thinking - Sue GreenfieldPractitioners' Experience of Promoting Children's Creative Thinking - Hiroko FumotoConclusions: Towards Understanding Young Children's Creative Thinking - Hiroko Fumotom, Sue Robson, Sue Greenfield and David J. Hargreaves