Kirill S. Chulyukin

This article presents a review of recent international studies on the problem of the creativity in childhood. The appeal to the problem of children’s creativity is methodologically set forth by the cultural-historical theory of L. Vygotsky. Unlike the works of Russian authors considering the problem of creativity in the context of the imagination, activity and creative potential of the individual, international authors focus on more particular research: cross-cultural differences in creativity, the relationship between pedagogical activity and the creativity of children, the effects of fixation on creativity, divergent thinking in the context of creativity etc. The article provides the review results of recent research in the field of developmental psychology where the problem of creativity is discussed in four ways. The first line of research combines resources which provide the theoretical underpinning of creativity and contemplate its structure. The second considers creativity in its cultural context. The third discusses creativity of teachers. The fourth reflects specific empiric studies of creativity in the childhood. These studies are both theoretical and empirical. The finding confirm the relevance of the study of creativity precisely in childhood, since the development and formation of the personality begins at an early age, therefore it is important to take into account the specificity of creativity in relation to and in interaction with other mental processes and personal states in early ontogeny.