ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT: NEW APPROACHES TO COGNITIVE EXPLORATION AND CREATIVE LEARNING

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming part of contemporary educational environments, creating new possibilities for learning, exploration, and creative expression. Although AI research has traditionally focused on older learners, recent studies have begun to examine its potential in early childhood education. This thesis explores how AI can be used as a pedagogical resource to support preschool children's cognitive exploration and creative learning. The study is based on a theoretical analysis of recent research on artificial intelligence in early childhood education, creativity development, teacher mediation, and human-centred AI. The analysis suggests that AI can provide children with new visual, narrative, and problem-based stimuli; however, its educational value depends on how actively children participate in the learning process. The thesis therefore proposes a child-centred approach in which AI-generated content serves as a starting point for questioning, observation, imagination, problem solving, storytelling, and creative production rather than as a substitute for children's own thinking. Particular attention is given to teacher mediation, developmental appropriateness, play-based learning, and ethical considerations. The proposed approach contributes to the emerging discussion on responsible and pedagogically meaningful AI integration in early childhood education.