Using Creative Play to Support Autistic Students in Preschool

Preschool classrooms are full of opportunities to learn through play. They can also serve as inclusive spaces where students feel supported in their social and creative development. But crafting a truly inclusive, inviting space for preschoolers isn’t easy. No two children learn through play or express their creativity in the same way, and that includes autistic students.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 36 children is identified as autistic—though it’s important to note that at the pre-K level, many students have yet to be diagnosed. Either way, if you’re a preschool teacher, there’s a statistically significant chance you have an autistic student in your classroom. As a child find coordinator, I work closely with evaluation teams and parents. We utilize play-based evaluations for all children, including those assessed for autism. The children we evaluate range in age from 2 to 3 years old before they are placed into our pre-K or toddler programs.

I have several suggestions, based on my work, for preschool educators who have autistic students—as in, they’ve already been identified as autistic—as well as some general ideas for teachers who want to integrate play and creativity techniques that enrich everyone.

Rethink and Encourage Creativity

Creativity is often associated with vibrant art projects, fiction and poetry, and musical prowess. Research connects creativity to divergent thinking, or “the ability to generate a variety of ideas or themes,” according to 2014 and 2016 papers in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.

In preschool, creativity is typically seen through imaginative play, where children use one object as if it were another. This kind of play usually involves social interactions, like pretending to be a veterinarian who’s helping a pet owner. Social interactions spurred by imaginative play are worthy of encouragement, but they aren’t the only expressions of creativity in preschool classrooms.

Some students’ play doesn’t center on social interactions. Research indicates that autistic students in particular have “difficulties of social interaction and communication.” Rather than analyzing what’s missing from the play of some of your students, aim to embrace the unique ways that these students engage with environments. You may have students (especially autistic children) who use their imagination to focus on how things work and to better understand their world. Their imagination is “employed not to communicate but to develop a kind of internal order,” according to Bruce Mills, a professor at Kalamazoo College.

The Four Cs of creativity as defined by James Kaufman—mini-c, little-c, Pro-c, and Big-c—offer a helpful framework for students who are primarily interested in understanding their own environment. I find the mini-c of creativity most applicable to preschool students. It focuses on personal discovery, where something that doesn’t appear new to others feels novel to the creator. Consider a student lining up toy cars in a row. While it may appear as if there’s nothing new or novel about the student’s approach to lining up the cars, they may actually be exploring and identifying patterns; they’re organizing the cars based on new discoveries, like color, size, number of doors, how the wheels spin, etc.

There are lots of easy ways for teachers to nurture their students. If a student is spinning the wheels on a toy car, their preschool teacher should join them. Educators can model interactions with the toy car by spinning its wheels faster, slower, forward, and backward. As educators continue this shared play experience, they can challenge students to spin the wheels without touching them. Can the student use a track or roll the car on the floor? These small, shared experiences spark mini-c creativity and social interaction for all preschool students, and they are especially helpful for autistic children.

Asking questions during play (“Why do you think your tower fell down?” or “What could you try differently next time?”) is another avenue for inspiring creative thinking through metacognition—the ability to reflect on one’s thoughts, strategies, and decisions. Even at a young age, metacognition is a foundational part of problem-solving and emotional regulation for all students.

Targeted Encouragement and Interactions

For preschool teachers with diagnosed autistic students, fostering metacognition might involve visual supports—tools like “first-then” boards, choice boards, or calm-down charts—that help with anticipating outcomes, motivating self-reflection about decisions, and reflecting on emotions.

Floortime intervention is an additional, targeted way for preschool teachers to assist their diagnosed autistic students. Floortime starts by following the child’s lead to create connection, then introduces challenges to encourage growth. Floortime uses natural opportunities to build on language and social skills. For example, if a student is moving their car back and forth, a preschool teacher can imitate this action and then add in language, like saying “Vroom, vroom” or “Drive.” As students progress, the teacher can introduce imaginative play scenarios based on their interests, such as a flower shop or mechanics shop.

Play therapy also offers powerful tools for cultivating creativity among autistic students. Puppets, for example, captivate many autistic students, providing a structured yet creative space for expression. Similarly, activities like Lego play promote problem-solving, collaboration, and communication, helping autistic students build social skills in a tactile, engaging way.

When toys are thoughtfully chosen, and play areas are small and well-organized, autistic children are more likely to engage with their peers and practice important social skills. These interactions are especially effective when children are grouped with peers who demonstrate strength in social behaviors and when adults facilitate the play without over-involvement.

Educators can create a truly well-rounded classroom by integrating targeted strategies within a redefined framework of creativity. Embracing each child’s unique way of exploring the world fosters meaningful social interactions and encourages growth for all.