No matter how old we are, nor how much we have seen of the world, our bonds to our fellow humans are woven from the same fiber: imagination. Especially for young children — whose experiences are brief and narrow, but whose minds are open and curious — imagination is what helps them to first step outside of themselves and explore new personalities and adventures.
Childhood is a time full of magic and shapeshifting, when beds become boats with sheets as sails, out on a wild sea made of pillows; a tea towel becomes a cape of invincibility, flying out behind a child who is now a superhero; a clothes horse and blankets transform into a giant castle where a princess cowers from a dragon that parents might believe is a teddy bear.
Yet what might look like simple fun is actually highly important work. When children use their imagination in play they are developing crucial psychological and emotional capacities that help them understand the confusing world in which they live and their relation to it; they are learning to solve problems, create new possibilities, even change the world.
Between the ages of three and four, children begin to engage with modes of speech, attaching words to emotional experiences – we might hear our child telling off their dollies for being naughty, for example, or lovingly tucking them into their cot before bed. In this sort of imaginative activity, children can act out through play and private speech all the things that are going on in their life, processing how they felt when they were told off themselves, and developing an empathetic understanding of why their parent was angry, or how it feels to care and be cared for.
The best news? Fuelling their imaginations doesn’t require anything more than the most basic tools. “Adults think children need more than they actually do to play – what they really need is the time, the space and the encouragement to do it. Invite your children to imagine what a cardboard box could be – whether that’s a castle, a boat, a spaceship or anything else they come up with. Then follow their lead, giving prompts to extend the fantasy when they encounter problems. Most important is creating moments for the child to play freely, then they can develop this in whatever direction their imagination takes them.”
The power of a child’s imagination can change a twig into a magic wand, a cardboard tube into a telescope, a bubble bath into a deadly swamp – and by sharing imaginative experiences with your child you can help them transform and develop into creative thinkers and problem solvers who might even one day change the world.
All you need is faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust.