KIRISH: hozirgi globallashuv va raqamli transformatsiya sharoitida jamiyat taraqqiyoti inson kapitali sifatiga, ayniqsa shaxsning yangicha va kreativ fikrlash kompetensiyalariga tobora ko‘proq bog‘liq bo‘lib bormoqda. XXI asr mehnat bozori tayyor bilim egasidan ko‘ra, bilimni amaliy vaziyatda qo‘llay oladigan, nostandart fikrlaydigan, tez moslashadigan va innovatsion yondashuvga ega shaxslarni talab qilmoqda. Shu jihatdan kreativ fikrlash “XXI asr kompetensiyalari” tizimida ustuvor o‘rin egallaydi. Maktabgacha yosh davri tasavvur, obrazli tafakkur, assotsiativ fikrlash, emotsionalirodaviy jarayonlar faollashadigan senzitiv bosqich bo‘lgani sababli kreativ fikrlashni aynan shu davrda rivojlantirish strategik ahamiyat kasb etadi. Tasviriy faoliyat (rasm chizish, applikatsiya, loy/plastilin, badiiy konstruktorlik) bolalarning erkin ifodasi, obraz yaratishi va ijodiy tashabbusini qo‘llab-quvvatlovchi samarali pedagogik vosita sifatida namoyon bo‘ladi. MAQSAD: maktabgacha ta’lim tashkilotlarida tasviriy faoliyatga o‘rgatish jarayonida bolalarning kreativ fikrlashini rivojlantirishning ijtimoiy-iqtisodiy, pedagogik va psixologik dolzarbligini asoslash hamda amaliyotda uchrayotgan muammolar va ilmiy-metodik ehtiyojlarni tizimlashtirish. MATERIALLAR VA METODLAR: tadqiqot doirasida ilmiy adabiyotlar va normativmetodik manbalar tahlili, maktabgacha ta’lim amaliyotini kuzatish, pedagogik tahlil va umumlashtirish, muammolarni guruhlash hamda metodik ehtiyojlarni konseptual yondashuv asosida izohlash usullaridan foydalanildi. MUHOKAMA VA NATIJALAR: tahlillar natijasida tasviriy mashg‘ulotlarda reproduktiv yondashuv (namuna ko‘chirish)ning ustunligi, baholashning “natija”ga haddan ortiq yo‘naltirilgani, tarbiyachilarning kreativ metodik kompetensiyasi yetarli emasligi, erkin tanlov imkoniyatlarining cheklanishi, rivojlantiruvchi muhit va resurslar tanqisligi, o‘yin va integratsiya elementlarining sustligi, refleksiya bosqichining yetarli tashkil etilmasligi hamda kreativ fikrlashni baholash mezonlari (rubrika, diagnostika kartasi, indikatorlar)ning aniq tizimlashtirilmaganligi kabi muammolar aniqlandi. Shuningdek, tasviriy faoliyat asosida kreativ fikrlashni rivojlantirishning komponentlarga tayangan (originallik, moslashuvchanlik, g‘oyalar oqimi, detallashtirish, refleksiya) metodik mexanizmlarini algoritmlashtirish, ochiq ijodiy topshiriqlar va innovatsion metodlar bankini yaratish, hamda metodika samaradorligini tajriba-sinov va statistik tahlil orqali isbotlashga ehtiyoj mavjudligi belgilandi. XULOSA: maktabgacha ta’limda tasviriy faoliyat orqali kreativ fikrlashni rivojlantirish zamonaviy jamiyatning ijtimoiy-iqtisodiy talablari bilan uyg‘un bo‘lgan dolzarb ilmiy-amaliy vazifadir. Muammoning yechimi sifatida tasviriy faoliyatni reproduktiv ko‘rinishdan ijodiy-faol yondashuvga o‘tkazish, erkin tanlov va psixologik xavfsiz muhit yaratish, tarbiyachining fasilitatorlik rolini kuchaytirish, refleksiya va integratsiyani tizimli yo‘lga qo‘yish hamda kreativ fikrlashni indikatorlar asosida baholaydigan rubrikadiagnostika tizimini ishlab chiqish zarur
INTRODUCTION: in the context of globalization and digital transformation, societal development increasingly depends on the quality of human capital, particularly on an individual’s ability to think innovatively and creatively. The 21st-century labor market requires not merely holders of “ready-made knowledge,” but individuals capable of applying knowledge in practical situations, thinking unconventionally, adapting quickly, and demonstrating innovative approaches. In this regard, creative thinking occupies a priority position within the system of “21st-century competencies.” Preschool age is considered a sensitive period characterized by the activation of imagination, figurative and associative thinking, as well as emotional-volitional processes. Therefore, developing creative thinking at this stage is of strategic importance. Visual arts activities (drawing, appliqué, clay/plasticine modeling, artistic construction) serve as effective pedagogical tools that support children’s free expression, image creation, and creative initiative. AIM: to substantiate the socio-economic, pedagogical, and psychological relevance of developing children’s creative thinking in the process of teaching visual arts in preschool educational organizations, and to systematize practical problems and scientific-methodological needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: the study employed analysis of scientific literature and normative-methodological sources, observation of preschool educational practice, pedagogical analysis and generalization, classification of identified problems, and interpretation of methodological needs based on a conceptual approach. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS: the analysis revealed several issues: the dominance of a reproductive approach (copying a model) in visual arts classes; excessive focus on the “final result” in assessment; insufficient creative methodological competence of educators; limited opportunities for free choice; lack of a developing environment and resources; weak integration of play-based and interdisciplinary elements; insufficient organization of reflection stages; and the absence of clearly systematized criteria for assessing creative thinking (rubrics, diagnostic cards, indicators). The study also identified the need to algorithmize methodological mechanisms for developing creative thinking based on its components (originality, flexibility, fluency of ideas, elaboration, reflection), to create a bank of open-ended creative tasks and innovative methods, and to verify the effectiveness of the methodology through experimental research and statistical analysis. CONCLUSION: the development of creative thinking through visual arts activities in preschool education represents a relevant scientific and practical task aligned with modern socio-economic demands. Key directions for addressing this issue include shifting from a reproductive to a creative-activity-based approach, ensuring free choice and a psychologically safe environment, strengthening the facilitator role of educators, systematically organizing reflection and integration processes, and developing a rubricbased diagnostic system for assessing creative thinking through specific indicators