Creativity-enhancing Approaches in the Coaching of Children in Sport: Present and Future Directions

In the recent years, the focus on creativity in children's sport has both increased in practice and research. This chapter reviews the international empirical research that implements and explores evidence-based approaches to enhance creativity in children sport environments. Using the personal assets framework to structure the analysis, the chapter demonstrates that creativity-enhancing approaches may lead to positive immediate sport experiences and, in turn, support a variety of short-term outcomes (especially sport-specific and general creativity). However, the review also identifies a gap of knowledge regarding the long-term outcomes of creativity-enhancing approaches. Moreover, the chapter critically examines the approaches in terms of the dynamic elements (e.g. appropriate setting features) manipulated to ensure the various positive outcomes. This scrutiny points out a range of organisational and relational aspects (e.g. quality social dynamics) that have not been exhaustively considered in extant research but bear the potential to enhance the quality of creativity-enhancing approaches in the future. The chapter is closed with recommendations for future research.