Abstract
Researchers, educators and policymakers promote play-based pedagogy because of its
appropriateness in developing children's potential. Play is considered a lens through which children
view their natural world and propose creative ways of dealing with their daily challenges. However,
play as a teaching pedagogy remains inadequate due to insufficient understanding and practical use
of various play-based pedagogies. Despite the importance placed on play-based pedagogy, children
struggle to transform their creative abilities into functional real-world outcomes. The researcher,
therefore, aims to investigate "play-based pedagogy and creativity for early-grade and preschool
learners". Specifically, The research intended to find out; (a) how play-based pedagogy can be used to
enhance the creativity of preschool and early-grade learners. (b) how a professional development
programme assists preschool and early-grade teachers in enhancing learners' creativity. The study
was conducted in Owerri Education Zone, Imo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a qualitative
approach with a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design. The research participants were nine and
purposively sampled from teachers of young learners aged five to eight years. The tool used for data
collection was a Semi-structured interview and observational schedule. Findings from the study
indicate that teachers have a poor understanding of diverse twenty-first-century-century play-based
pedagogy used to enhance children's creativity. Furthermore, the teachers' professional development
programme positively impacted learners' creativity. In conclusion, the study recommends teachers'
professional development training on twenty-first-century play-based pedagogies to enhance
learners' creative skills.