Not all children have a great imagination when it comes to playing, writing and problem-solving. They struggle with thinking abstractly or letting their imagination run wild. They may have one idea, but not a host to choose from. Having a good imagination is something that needs to be developed so that children can work through problems, think and write creatively and role-play.
Nurturing starts at home, so how can parents help their children develop their imagination?
How to Develop Imagination
1. Role-Playing Games
Parents can create scenarios like running a shop, going on a ‘space mission’ or acting out a storybook. This helps children pretend to be a character and take on a different persona. This is really useful when it comes to drama in class or imaginary games in the playground. Read more about the benefits of role play for children.
2. Story Building Games
Parents can use story cubes or simply take turns in telling a story. The parent would start telling a story and then stop for their child to take over, and then the parent has their turn again. The child has to pick up from where their parent stops. This encourages children to structure narratives, develop characters and use creative language. Great for school writing tasks. Story cubes can be used in the same way to tell a story using a set of images on dice.
3. Drawing And Craft Challenges
Parents can ask their child to illustrate a scene from a story, invent a new character or create a comic strip. Visualising and coming up with ideas helps children plan, write and storyboard which are useful when doing creative assignments.
4. Board Games That Encourage Imagination
Parents can seek out creative games that encourage children to interpret abstract images and invent stories. This develops narrative thinking, vocabulary, and communication skills, all of which help in group work and classroom storytelling.
5. ‘What If’ Prompts
Parents can ask questions like ‘What if our living room were a jungle?’ or ‘What if animals went to school?’ These types of questions encourage children to invent answers and come up with original ideas, which can develop their creative writing.
All of these creative ideas can incorporate a degree of problem-solving as children are thinking of many abstract ways of developing stories, whether through writing them, speaking them, acting them or drawing them. Parents helping their children use their imagination will directly strengthen their imagination and creativity at school.
If your child or teenager needs some extra help, find out more about life coaching for children and get in touch to book your session.
