CAIC

Within-Person Variability in Creative Activities Among Primary School Children: An Intensive Longitudinal Study

01/11/2026 to 31/10/2030

Creative activities are an important expression of children’s creativity in everyday life, yet little is known about how they fluctuate from day to day and which factors influence these fluctuations. Existing research has focused almost exclusively on adults and has mainly relied on cross-sectional designs. This project investigates the day-to-day variability of creative activities in primary school children using an intensive longitudinal design. Approximately 300 parent-child dyads will participate in a 31-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA), in which parents report their children’s daily creative activities, emotional states, motivation, and contextual influences. These daily data will be complemented by laboratory-based assessments of creative thinking, cognitive abilities, personality, self-regulation, and creative self-beliefs before the EMA period and by follow-up assessments six months later. By distinguishing within-person fluctuations from stable between-person differences, the project aims to identify the situational and individual factors that shape children’s everyday creative engagement. The findings will contribute to developmental theories of creativity and talent development and provide new insights into how creative potential is expressed in everyday life.