Building Your Child’s Imagination
Have you ever found yourself in an impossible situation? Maybe you’re faced with a tough problem at work, or you find your daily schedule just has too many things for one day, or you’re hosting a social event where you weren’t quite sure how to put everyone at ease. Whatever the case may be, I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point or another.
How do we find solutions get ourselves out of there? We get creative. In other words… we have to use our imaginations!
Some people might call it “problem solving,” “abstract thinking,” or maybe something like “troubleshooting,” but the truth is, those are all just synonyms for imagination.
Think about it: what is imagination? It’s not just about creating pretend stories and scenarios. You have to be able to guess at human behavior and natural chains of event.
Helping kids build imagination isn’t just about letting kids be kids. When we let our children have free range of their imaginations we’re letting them build understanding of how the world works, and how people work. They start to make educated guesses about how people will behave or react in certain situations, and they see whether their guesses are right or wrong.
Why is it that kids can imagine so many more fantastical things than most adults?
Probably because nobody has told them they can’t. Just a guess. But what if we never told them they couldn’t? What if we never told them some things were too ridiculous, or just impossible? It can be so hard for adults to think outside the box sometimes, but isn’t it amazing when we do? Kids do that all the time! Wouldn’t it be great if we never had to relearn that skill? If we let that natural curiosity and mind power blossom in our kids, maybe they won’t ever have to struggle with things like “abstract thinking” or “problem solving.”
We can help our kids build their imaginations all the time. Books, crafts, and art are excellent food for the imagination, as well as time outdoors, and trips to museums. Sometimes we might have to sit through a play or puppet show or other such kid- produced show business, but remember - they’re building imagination and self-esteem!
Other times, the best way to help kids build their imagination is to just let them be and see what happens. Let them choose their own books, their own activities, and make their own stories and let those imaginations run wild!