Impact of digital games on early creative expression in children: longitudinal study based on experimental...

Exploring the impact of digital games on children's early creative expression.

300 kids aged 4-6 were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG, n = 150) and a control group (CG, n = 150). The EG received a 16-week intervention with three types of digital games (creative painting, digital scenarios, story creation), 30 min per session, three times a week; the CG followed regular activities. Using a pre-test and post-test control group design, the pre-test measured initial creativity (drawing creation, storytelling) via the self-developed "Early Childhood Creative Expression Ability Assessment Scale" and game process observation; the post-test was conducted at the experiment's end. Quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS26.0, and qualitative data via thematic analysis.

Before intervention, there was no significant difference in creative expression or game process observation between the two groups (P > 0.05). After intervention, the EG outperformed the CG significantly in drawing innovativeness (P < 0.001), storytelling plot richness (P < 0.001), and most dimensions of drawing creative expression, storytelling multidimensionality, and game process observation (P < 0.05); the EG also showed significant pre-post improvements in all dimensions (P < 0.001), while no gender difference was found (P > 0.05).

Digital games significantly enhance children's early creative expression, providing a basis for applying digital resources in early childhood education and optimizing teaching methods to promote children's creativity.