Early Child Development and Care, January, 2005 Vol. 175(1), pp. 85–95 ISSN 0300–4430 (print)/ISSN 1476–8275 (online)/05/010085–11 © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd DOI: 10.1080/0300443042000230401 A developmental perspective of divergent movement ability in early young children Evridiki Zachopoulou 1 * & Anastasia Makri 2 Technological Educational Institution of Thessaloniki, Greece; Democritus University of Thrace, Greece Taylor and Francis Ltd GECD41031.sgm (Received 21 March 2004) 10.1080/0300443042000230401 Early Childhood Development and Care 0300-4430 (print)/1476-8275 (online) Original Article 2004 Taylor & Francis Ltd 174 7 0000002004 EvridikiZachopoulou Technological Educational Institution of ThessalonikiDept. of Early Childhood Care & EducationP.O. Box 14561Sindos54101 ThessalonikiGreeceezachopo@teithe.gr Movement responses to a stimulus could be either quantitative or qualitative, or could also be the answer to a pre-established problem. This process activates both divergent thinking and critical thinking. Divergent movement ability generates both quantitative and qualitative movement responses to a stimulus. The aim of this study was to examine the divergent movement ability of preschool and elementary school children. The effect of age and gender in two factors of motor creativity—motor fluency and motor flexibility—was estimated. The sample consisted of 191 early young children (101 boys and 90 girls). The subject’s divergent movement ability was assessed using the Divergent Movement Ability Test, which included three locomotor/movement tasks. Motor fluency and motor flexibility evaluation was based on the specific scoresheets. Analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences among the three age groups on both factors of divergent movement ability. The older children produced more quantitative and qualitative move- ment responses than younger children. The results also showed no statistically significant differ- ences between the two genders. Early young girls and boys seemed to have similar ability in producing divergent movements. Keywords: Divergent movement; Early young children; Motor fluency; Motor flexibility Introduction The existed definitions for creativity refer to some basic elements that underlie it, such as the creative product, the creative person and some other factors that are correlated * Corresponding author: Evridiki Zachopoulou, Associate Professor, Technological Educational Institution of Thessaloniki, Department of Early Childhood Care and Education, P.O. Box 14561, Sindos, 54101 Thessaloniki, Greece. Email: ezachopo@teithe.gr