As a mother, I truly believe that creativity is an important part of my child’s overall growth. It helps my child express feelings and thoughts in their own unique way, builds their confidence, and teaches them how to solve problems by thinking differently. When children are encouraged to be creative, they stay curious, use their imagination freely, and become more emotionally strong and ready to handle life’s changes.
Understanding how creativity works—what we call “creativity theory”—gives us a better idea of how children come up with new ideas, tackle problems from different angles, and make things that are truly meaningful. It looks at how their mind, emotions, and surroundings all work together to shape their creativity, whether in school, at home, or in everyday life.
By learning more about creativity, I can help create the right environment at home where my child feels safe to explore, try new things, and learn from mistakes. It also helps me support them in becoming confident, imaginative thinkers who can do well not only in school, but in life.
In the next section, I’ll be learning about one of the most helpful and popular theories that explains how creativity really works.
1. Beghetto & Kaufman’s Four-C Model of Creativity
The Four-C Model of Creativity was introduced by Ronald A. Beghetto and James C. Kaufman in the mid-2000s. Both scholars are well-known researchers in the field of educational psychology and creativity studies. Their model was built upon earlier frameworks of creativity that often focused only on the most extraordinary, world-changing achievements—sometimes called “Big-C” creativity. The Four-C Model was designed to broaden this view, helping educators, psychologists, and parents understand that creativity exists in everyday experiences, not just in famous inventions or artworks.
Before this model, creativity was often divided into two categories:
- Big-C Creativity: Groundbreaking, historically significant work.
- Little-c Creativity: Everyday creative thinking and problem-solving.
Beghetto and Kaufman felt this binary was too limited. So, they proposed a Four-C Model to capture a fuller range of creative expression, from early developmental stages to expert-level contributions.
2. Core Ideas
The core idea of the Four-C Model is that creativity is not a fixed ability or one-time achievement. Instead, creativity can grow and evolve over time. Everyone can be creative in different ways, and at different levels.
The model introduces four levels of creativity, which are:
- Mini-c Creativity: Personal insights and discoveries, especially while learning.
- Little-c Creativity: Everyday problem-solving and expression.
- Pro-c Creativity: Professional-level work, but not yet world-famous.
- Big-C Creativity: Legendary, lasting impact on a field or society.
These levels are connected. A child may start with mini-c creativity in school, grow into little-c creativity in hobbies, develop pro-c creativity in their career, and one day achieve Big-C status through groundbreaking work.
3. Main Concepts, Components and Process
Mini-c Creativity
- This is the starting point of creativity.
- It includes small insights or ideas a person has while learning something new.
- It is personal and meaningful to the individual, even if others don’t see it as creative.
- Example: A child imagining a story while reading a book.
Little-c Creativity
- Everyday problem-solving or artistic expression.
- Recognized by others but not professional-level.
- Example: Cooking a new dish at home, decorating a room uniquely, or writing a poem for a school project.
Pro-c Creativity
- Comes after training and experience in a specific field.
- It is professional creativity, though not necessarily world-famous.
- Requires expertise, dedication, and feedback from peers.
- Example: A teacher creating a new way to teach math or an engineer developing a new machine part.
Big-C Creativity
- This is the highest level of creativity.
- The work is groundbreaking and recognized across the world.
- It has a lasting impact on culture, science, or society.
- Example: Einstein’s theory of relativity or Shakespeare’s plays.
Process of Moving Through the Levels
- Creativity starts at Mini-c and can grow through encouragement, feedback, and practice.
- With more learning and experience, a person can reach Little-c, then Pro-c, and possibly Big-C.
- Education, environment, and personal motivation all affect this journey.
4. One Example of Creativity Product
Let’s take the example of a young girl named Meera who loves drawing.
- Mini-c: Meera draws a picture of her dream house during art class. It may not be technically perfect, but it expresses her unique ideas.
- Little-c: Meera starts drawing birthday cards for her family and friends. They admire her creativity.
- Pro-c: Meera studies design, becomes a professional architect, and designs innovative homes.
- Big-C: One of Meera’s designs is internationally recognized and changes the way people think about eco-friendly buildings.
This example shows how creativity can grow from a child’s personal ideas to professional and eventually historical achievements.
5. Related Theories and Concepts
- Guilford’s Structure of Intellect Model: Helped define creativity as a set of cognitive abilities like divergent thinking.
- Wallas’ Four-Stage Model: Describes the stages of creative thinking: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification.
- Csikszentmihalyi’s Systems Theory: Emphasizes how creativity arises from the interaction of the person, field, and domain.
- Amabile’s Componential Theory: Focuses on motivation, domain skills, and creativity skills.
Beghetto and Kaufman’s model ties many of these ideas together by showing how creativity evolves and can be nurtured at each stage.
6. Limitation of Theory and Next Successor of Beghetto & Kaufman’s Four-C Model of Creativity
Limitations:
- The Four-C Model is more descriptive than prescriptive. It explains the levels but doesn’t always give clear steps to move from one to another.
- It may oversimplify creativity by putting it into four fixed categories.
- It does not focus deeply on cultural or situational factors that may impact creativity differently.
Successor Ideas:
- Kaufman and Beghetto later explored how creativity intersects with learning environments, student motivation, and personal identity.
- More recent models, such as Multivariate or Systems Models, have tried to blend the Four-C model with environmental and cognitive factors for a more holistic understanding.
7. Conclusion
Beghetto and Kaufman’s Four-C Model of Creativity has made a lasting contribution to how we understand creativity in daily life, education, and professional settings. It reminds us that creativity is not just for geniuses or famous inventors—it begins in childhood and can be found in everyday experiences. By recognizing the different levels of creativity, we can better support children, students, and professionals as they grow and express their unique ideas. With the right support, a person can move from small insights to major innovations. This model helps educators, parents, and psychologists appreciate and nurture creativity at every stage of life.