Imagination and Creative Play for Kids

Imagination and Creative Play for Kids
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”-Albert Einstein Click To Tweet

Imagination

Imagination is the door that leads to endless possibilities. Imaginative play encourages cognitive and social development in children. Through it, kids learn creativity, how to think outside the box and be resourceful.

Without realizing it, they are learning about the world. They learn skills to manipulate materials, express themselves (both verbally and non-verbally), plan, act, interact, react, and try different roles.

From The Scholastic Website -Young children learn by imagining and doing. Have you ever watched your child pick up a stone and pretend it is a zooming car, or hop a Lego across the table as if it were a person or a bunny? Your child is using an object to represent something else while giving it action and motion. But this pretend play is not as simple as it may seem. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas.
“Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age and dreams are forever.” Walt Disney Click To Tweet

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education uses critical thinking skills and creative problem solving abilities as goals for a child’s development.

Critical thinking skills and creative problem solving skills are developed through imagination, trying new things and experimenting.

Participating in activities such as playing with playdoh, creating a “recipe” by mixing dirt and water, splashing in puddles or pretending to fly- we are furthering a child’s development.

A great example of this is talked about in Mom Loves Best article- Why Playtimes is an Essential Part of Childhood Development

Social Benefit

It also helps build social/emotional development when kids are able to contemplate different solutions- leading to their confidence being built and therefore being more comfortable interacting with others.