Enhancing Creative Thinking through Children’s Picture Books: Educational Strategies for Visual Arts Integration

This study explores the potential of folk picture books as catalysts for creative thinking in early childhood education through a mixed-methods approach involving 50 children aged 5-6 in Guiyang, China.While picture books are widely recognized for their educational value, the specific mechanisms through which their visual and narrative elements stimulate creativity remain underexplored.Using qualitative research methods including literature analysis of 20 carefully selected picture books, classroom observation of structured interventions, and semistructured interviews with educators and children, this study reveals that books incorporating non-linear plots, visual metaphors, and diverse characters significantly enhanced divergent thinking scores by an average of 35% compared to traditional instruction methods.A comprehensive pedagogical framework incorporating four evidence-based strategies-openended questioning, role-playing, situational simulation, and collaborative book creation-was developed and validated.Results demonstrate that culturally responsive narratives not only foster creativity but also strengthen cultural identity formation and critical thinking development.This research contributes a theoretically grounded and culturally adaptive model for systematically integrating picture books into creative education curricula.