Creativity Theories and Perspectives 

Creativity in HASS is informed by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which highlights how children co-construct knowledge through dialogue and cultural tools. Bruner’s constructivist approach also supports imaginative play and narrative-based learning as powerful modes of inquiry. Theories of critical pedagogy (Freire) emphasise children as active participants in social change. The EYLF values creativity as a means to express personal identity, contribute to the community, and explore cultural diversity. By incorporating drama, storytelling, and inquiry learning into HASS, educators empower children to engage with social justice themes and develop creative, empathetic, and informed worldviews.

Resources, Materials, and Digital Technologies

Educators can use storybooks, maps, globes, dolls, cultural artefacts, dress-up clothes, and role-play props to support HASS-based creativity. Materials like family photo albums, sand trays for landforms, and toy buildings support exploration of place and community. Digital tools such as Google Earth, Story Jumper, class blogs, and virtual museum tours bring global experiences into the classroom. Apps like “Barefoot World Atlas” and “My First Timeline” encourage spatial and historical understanding. These tools foster creative expression, storytelling, and inquiry by allowing children to document, represent, and share their interpretations of the world around them.

Learning Experiences: Humanities and Social Sciences 

Critical Reflection and Evaluation

In “Classroom Country” (3–5 years), children collaboratively created a pretend country with its own name, flag, and celebration. They engaged in democratic decisions and used drawing, writing, and acting to represent their ideas. This experience successfully fostered teamwork, imagination, and early civic understanding. However, some children needed support staying focused during group discussions. Next time, I would break the project into smaller tasks with visual aids and assign rotating roles (e.g., designer, flag maker) to ensure engagement.

In “Virtual Field Trip and Postcard Writing” (6–8 years), students enthusiastically explored the chosen site (The Great Barrier Reef) using Google Earth. Writing postcards from the reef sparked descriptive language, empathy for marine life, and creative storytelling. A challenge was varying levels of writing ability. To improve, I would pair students for peer support and offer sentence starters or drawing options. Overall, both enactments effectively connected HASS content with creativity and imagination, enabling children to meaningfully explore people, places, and stories.

Video 

Learning experience 1: Family Photo Wall Exploration

Learning experience 2: Making a “Classroom Country”