Imagine a world without Neverland or Narnia or Hogwarts! I hope you can - because it was imagination that let J. M. Barrie turn a public park into Neverland, C. S. Lewis transform a garden into Narnia and J. K. Rowling change a school into Hogwarts. Without the use of imagination life would get pretty boring. Imagining should be encouraged at every stage of life…and especially at a young age. In a 21st century America where what you do is more important than what you are and time is money, this aspect of development is often overlooked. Its time to get back to the basic philosophy of allowing kids to think and feel and express themselves…before its too late.
The Importance of Playtime
Playtime is one of the most fertile grounds for this development. Kids need to be encouraged to “dress up”, role play, read, interact with each other and, as necessary, make mistakes. Too often their life is filled with computer games, movie and pop stars and the latest fashion trend. Most things are passively laid on for them and indeed actively marketed to captivate their young minds. Even my daughter, who I like to encourage to think out of the box, told me the other day that she was overwhelmed by her upcoming SOL’s…and she’s only 9 years old.
Today’s children are more stressed than ever before. Whether its academics, swimming lessons, a soccer game or music lessons many children are over scheduled and over fed (both metaphorically and literally!). This leaves very little unstructured play time and imagination opportunity. Play is critical to how a child develops in all areas. It’s how they develop their brain, their physical skills, social and emotional skills, and it’s also a great opportunity for parents and siblings to really fully engage with each other and build relationships within the family.
Choose the Right Toys
Multi-purpose and unstructured toys, like clay, blocks, generic toy figures, and baby dolls, encourage play that children can control and shape to meet their individual needs over time. Too many of today’s best-selling toys promote highly-structured play; most often action figures or video games linked to TV programs or movies. They “tell” children how to play and can channel them into merely using the toys to try to imitate what they see on TV or in the movies (and unfortunately the most popular shows have violent themes).
For young girls, dolls play is an excellent activity to encourage role play, nurturing and behavioral responsibility. When American Girl Dolls started out in 1986 it had lofty ideals of education and history. They wanted to “celebrate girls” – and they did a great job. They promoted historical dress, different environments, taught the value of changing attitudes and, more recently, even help girls understand their physical and emotional changes as they develop. But one area they have forgotten is how to play with the American Girl dolls. Too often they are now collectables that sit on shelves, or worse get stacked in drawers. Much of this has to do with the commercialistic malaise that has become America’s culture. American Girl products are grossly over priced – from the doll itself (80 bucks a head) to the accessories and outfits to the shop experience ($20 for a kid lunch). This puts it in the realm of collectable and generally out of the reach of small hands. But it does not have to be so and mothers should shop around to get affordable products that allow kids to get back to play.
How to Promote Play
As a Mom there are many ways to help your child develop play that supports her social, emotional, and intellectual development. Here are a few:
Read to your child. As well as allowing regular interaction this introduces your child to new thoughts and new ideas. Soon your child’s imagination will take over.
Choose new toys carefully. Toys that can be used in many ways usually promote the most valuable play. They give children many opportunities to invent new uses for them over time. Too many toys, or a constant barrage of new ones, can prevent children from doing this. Keep it simple, chose toys that let your child’s imagination soar.
Schedule playtime. Set regular, uninterrupted playtime in your child’s life, but don’t be too rigid about it. This tells her that play is important. For children who are heavily dependent on television, develop this routine gradually and help children figure out how to begin their play.
Let your child set the pace. Your child will enjoy the activity much more if they can dictate the pace. Encourage appropriate activities of interest and discourage inappropriate activity – provide supervision but don’t lead or correct.
Like most things in life stimulating your child’s imagination is a balancing act based on good judgment and trial and error. But don’t underestimate play as one of the most powerful vehicles children have for trying out and mastering new skills, concepts, and experiences. Play can help children develop the knowledge they need to connect in meaningful ways to the challenges they encounter in school and in life. Encourage your child to use their imagination, stretch their reasoning, and believe in fantastic adventures. If Harry were here he’s pick up his wand and point it toward us….”imaginarius!”
