subject: Princess Dresses And Action Heros; Cultivating An Environment Of Imagination [print this page] Children see the world differently than adults do. They have the ability to suspend reality and enjoy a good play session with other children their age, going to another world and pretending to be something or someone they aren't in real life. Playing pretend and using imagination is an essential part of children's playtime. As a parent, there are things you can do to cultivate your kid's imaginations. Encourage healthy playtime with your children by fostering an environment where they can explore their imaginations unhindered.
First, to help your children grow their imaginations, play with them and let them use you in their pretend stories. When your children want to play make-believe, get down on the ground with them and involve yourself in their fantasy stories. Help them make up characters for their play time. Make sure your kids know that they can come to you to have fun using their imaginations. Ask them to explain their world to you as they see it. Listen to them and encourage imaginative use of play-time.
If you can, always keep on hand a supply of dress up costumes and props to use during play time. Your children will be much more willing to use their imaginations if it's easier to escape to their pretend world. Find some fun princess dresses and action hero costumes to keep around so your kids can dress up and have a fun time playing make-believe. You can make dress-up clothes or you can buy them from a good costume store.
Encouraging your child to play and use their imagination will help them develop social and problem solving skills. If a child feels comfortable playing in his or her own imaginary world they will be able to have the confidence to interact with other children during play time. Cultivate an environment where your children can play and interact with other children their own age. They will learn how to use their imaginations together and create whole new worlds of exploration and learning. Social interaction is a large part of a child's early development. Talk to other parents in your area and see if you can set up a play group on a regular basis. This will also give you a time to interact with other adults, a bonus if you are a stay-at-home parent with little daily adult conversation.
Your children come built-in with a great ability to imagine and play. Nourish that ability with play-time that will enrich their imaginations and open their minds to new things. Spend time playing with them yourself. Involve yourself in their world and enjoy the time you spend playing make-believe with them. Provide dress-up clothes for your children to play pretend in. Set up play dates with other families so your kids can interact with children their own age and learn how to compromise and play together. Encourage your children to use their imaginations and go to far off worlds and adventurous locations in their minds. They won't be kids forever. Allow them to use the natural ability they have to play pretend while they still want to.
