Kids & Imagination

It's actually quite ironic. How could it be that we're asking ourselves how to raise kids with dreams, how to get kids to imagine, to think big, to be excited about their own lives? Don't all kids imagine? Didn't you have an imaginary friend? Didn't you dream of being a football player or a ballerina? So what happened?

Let's start off with the first objective: to imagine. It's true that naturally, kids have great imaginations. They can take a plastic doll and believe it's really crying, turn a fork into an airplane, and imagine animals talking. But even from a young age, do the toys we give them help them imagine, or hinder imagination? These days dolls can cry, talk to you in three languages, and sense a wet diaper. Every game lights up, talks, and beeps. What's left for a kid to imagine? If your baby doll is talking where does the imagination come in?

The imaginative part of play is what makes playing fun and exciting for kids. When we take away the freedom to imagine, the toy is exciting for the first few days (or hours) and then it wears off, and the kid looks for a new form of entertainment. So the next toy has to light up more, or transform into an action figure, or have a motion sensor. When that's not exciting anymore the kid needs flashy TV and movies, and the vicious cycle begins, giving no room for imagination.

What toys do kids not get bored of? Cardboard boxes. Legos. Classic Dolls. Dress Up. Crayons and paper. All these toys involve creating, whether it's creating an imaginary story, a spaceship out of a box, or a work of art.

Kids with imagination can dream big. Here's a little secret: I played with dolls until I was twelve. It's good for you! Did it make me immature? Apparently not. It gave me hours and hours of imaginative play, which definitely helped me to think big and think creatively later on.

If your kids are bored, instead of taking them to a movie, give them a big refrigerator box and some paint. I'm sure they'll create something you wouldn't have even imagined.

What are your thoughts on kids toys and how they impact imagination? Feel free to comment!