Ways To Help Spark A Child’s Imagination

The term “wild imagination” has been used countless amounts of times to describe my son Derek.  No matter how much I hear it I still get a pinch of pride run through me when the words are spoken.  I believe childhood is such an important time to allow children to just be.  When others see a dining room table Derek sees a fort in the middle of the wilderness.   When given a cape and googles Derek is magically transformed into a superhero with extra special powers to see into the depths of the earth.  Some may find such adventures and play silly but I believe it’s helping to grow Derek into one of our next great explorers! The world’s greatest leaders and entrepreneurs need to believe in what they can’t see.  They need to try, jump, run, hide and go for it!  In order to move mountains you need to take on new roles and use your imagination!

Ways to help Spark a Child’s Imagination

• Give them a cardboard box.  It’s amazing what a child will create when given a box.  I have seen my kids turn a cardboard box into a superhero house, a car, a battle station and more!  Check out this adorable book NOT a BOX

• Send them on A Mission.   This has got to be my children’s favorite thing to do together.  They pack up their backpacks with fake food, action figures, flashlights and grab their sleeping bags.  Off they go into the wild depths of our dining room to seek and destroy “bad guys!”  Camping out under the table, building “a fire” to keep warm and unpacking their bags.  **Note** I hope your children are better at picking up their mission items than mine are

• Read to them.  Read your children stories of adventures.  Let them believe in what CAN BE instead of thinking or what can not be.  Let them be dreamers

• Accessories.  My kids LOVE googles, bags, backpacks, hats, watches, boots and anything they can put on to help them pretend they are a superhero, princess, doctor and more

• Buy Costumes.  It is a common occurance  that one of my children can be found roaming the grocery store, mall or neighborhood in some sort of costume.  I have to say it always makes people smile!

• Crayons and Markers. Both my kids can spend endless hours drawing, coloring and writing notes.  One of their favorite yearly pastimes is to write letters to Santa.  They have me pretend I am Santa and they draw me pictures and give me thank you notes!

How do you help light a spark for your child and their WILD IMAGINATION?