All aspects of creative development can contribute to the development of mathematical understanding, and the links between the two areas of learning are all the greater now that 'Mathematical development' has been renamed 'Problem-solving, reasoning and numeracy' (PSRN) under the EYFS.
As 'Creativity and Critical Thinking' (EYFS Principles in Practice 4.3) makes clear, creativity is not just about expressing ideas through the arts. Creativity is about making connections (between home, nursery and the wider world, between a child's own experience and those of other children, between all areas of learning and development). It is about linking ideas and about problem-solving.
As children communicate their ideas through the expressive media, new connections are made, and as ideas are explored, they develop interests. Their enthusiasms provide the motivation to become not merely problem-solvers, but problem-finders.
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