ABSTRACT
A key element of developing creativity in young children is the need for respectful, trusting relationships in early years settings and with those adults who are important and familiar to them. All human relationships are built on respect and trust. This chapter explores the ways in which practitioners can foster these relationships, the steps that practitioners can take to ensure they provide the right emotional environment for children approaching their third year and how to ensure children up to the age of 5 are given the opportunity to make independent choices about how they spend their time and who they spend it with. It explores the underlying need for pre-school children to be given space and time, and how this is different to what practitioners afford infants. The chapter looks briefly at the key person approach when working with slightly older children and how these relationships impact how the child expresses themselves within a pre-school environment.
