3 ways to trigger imagination in kids
Albert Einstein said
Logic can take you from A to B, whereas Imagination can take you anywhere.
Imagination is something we all value and have high regard for. However, we either don’t spend time on it in our daily lives or assume it is a blessed talent for a few creative souls.
As a parent, I think there is no doubt in our minds about how critical the role imagination can play in our child’s life, not just in creative subjects but also in science and math. Not just in STEAM but also in Social Sciences. Not just in academics but in other aspects of life like sports, relationships etc.
So, I want to directly jump into 3 ways, of how we could make it part of our daily lives, in a much more convenient manner.
1. Asking Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions are ones that don’t have an answer in a Yes or No. Neither is there one correct answer or incorrect answer to them. Such questions help Children to elaborate and to broaden their thinking process, to think for themselves. They also prompt to encourage intrinsic motivation among children. A few of the examples are
“ What else can we do..?” / “How can we find out?”
“ What if…..” / “ I wonder what you will do with….”
“ How do you know?” / “Why do you think?”
“What do you want to do about it?” / “How can we solve this problem?
Similar to this I feel, is Process Art/Open-Ended Art. Process Art will have more opportunities for creativity, independence, and imagination and will embrace experimentation and mistakes as part of the learning process.
Including activities around Process Art for our Children might be beneficial in their imagination through something they enjoy.
2. Being bored is completely ok
“What goes on too often is that we are not turning children into creators; we’re turning them into consumers.” — Eugene Schwartz, director of teacher-education programs at Sunbridge College
As modern parents, one of our daily to-do’s is to think of activities to keep our children occupied and busy. To keep them away from the screen else they will turn to us. We fall prey to the notion that we need to constantly entertain or engage or plan an activity to keep the kids always sharp or alert or not to miss a teaching opportunity.
I am reminded of the following lines from the book, Simplicity Parenting by Kim Payne. I highly recommend every parent to read it.
“ The human brain, easily the most delicate and amazing thing in the universe, knows how to grow. It plays, it explores, it nourishes itself, it seeks the most peaceful rhythm of activity and rest, over and over — seeking and soothing, seeking and soothing.”
“ To have moments of calm- creative or restful-is a form of deep sustenance for human beings of all ages. Relationships are often built in these pauses, in the incidental moments, when nothing much is going on.”
A lot of research now further emphasises that Boredom is actually beneficial for our children.
“A long-term study finds that creativity has been steadily declining among children of all ages over the past 30 years. The researchers think it has to do with the way we’re raising our kids, both at home and in school. If we’re constantly filling their schedules and their brains, they’ll have no need to imagine a story, wonder how things work, or construct a fort with pillows and blankets.”- Source PBS Kids
These moments of pauses and idleness, I believe are those sweet spots of creativity and imagination. We just need to guide Children.
We could discuss with them their interests and passions.
We need not further buy toys, rather ask them to use the existing toys, or household items or build something from what is available at home.
Pretend plays / Inventing scenarios or building stories etc.
Eventually, allowing some good amount of downtime/breaks is much healthier for our kids’ imagination, creativity and overall wellbeing.
So next time, we are ridden by FOMO( fear of missing out) for not being able to get a spot for that swimming camp or a summer camp activity, we can choose to actually pause and thank the situation. For now our child got more time for exploration and imagination.
3. Exposure
Exposing our children to different experiences also enables their imagination power is something I strongly believe. It could vary from trips to Museums, narrating varied stories, or just taking them outdoors in all seasons, or travelling with them to new places or meeting new people. Travel, people, books, and experiences expose children to differences in cultures, practices, colours, food, weather, thinking, approach etc. For example, commuting by public transport exposes children to different shades of people in comparison to travel by personal car.
These experiences need not be costly or extravagant. What children really need is our presence and time. So they will really enjoy the experience of a visit to a nearby park when we are fully attentive and engage in their conversations. And by being fully present, we can listen closely to what they talk about and follow their lead, asking open-ended questions or by responding to their inquisitive questions, we can further their creativity, curiosity and thinking.
As parents, we are constantly making decisions. When in dilemma, maybe we could choose experiences over material pleasures for the sake of exposure, for the sake of expansion of creativity, for the sake of triggering some spark of imagination.
Would love to know from you, your ideas that work out in your life, for you, your family or your kids.
