Imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. --Albert Einstein

Do you remember your first imaginary friend or believing in fairies? Have you ever seen children open all their Christmas presents only to be more interested in the boxes they came in? I love how children find ways to use objects that never occurred to me.

Children are resourceful and they will find something to do with the most uninteresting objects.The other day, I was watching my daughter role play with her Star Wars action figures. She had taken a straw that had three loops in it (in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head) and was using it as the spacecraft. She fit two action figures through Mickey's ears and R2D2 fit perfectly in the third loop. She imagined an original story for her characters but incorporated what she knew about "the force," levitating and storm troopers from watching the movies and reading a Star Wars guide book.

I find this time she spent creating to be time well-spent. I believe this play will help her with her writing, problem-solving and reading comprehension (she needs to understand story structure in order to make up her own stories).

Don't underestimate the value of your child's imaginative play.