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Parenting
with Gary & Anne Marie: Toddlers
Children's Imagination and Play
Behold the wonders of your
child's imagination! Evan rushes to park his bike on the front walk, grabs the
coiled rope hanging off the back, and dashes for the front door. "Fire!
Hurry! Spray the flames!" he shouts breathlessly, aiming the rope's end
at the porch. Then circling back to the garage for assistance, he reaches for
a make-believe ax to chop open an invisible door. One slightly amused black
Labrador, lifting her head for a second, curiously looks on. She's seen similar
antics a million times before.
At three years of age, make-believe
and other imaginative activities begin to occupy an important place in the child's
mental world. Imagination will do what curiosity cannot. It will carry a child
beyond the boundaries of time and space. It can take him to places he has never
been. He can move mountains with his imagination and test his own feelings without
fear of reprisal. Through the imaginative process, a child gives life to inanimate
objects while assuming a controlling role as chief operator of his own play.
Two-year-old RJ
received a Tommy Train for his birthday. RJ showed only curious interest in
the Tommy Train boxcars and engine. He touched the tracks, spun the wheels,
and even tried to stack the cars. But he did not understand how to play with
the train. When RJ was three years of age, the train set came out again, and
curiosity gave way to his developing imagination. A more dominant cognitive
process began to rule RJ's thinking. Now he plays the role of engineer. His
mind constructs mountainous terrains out of pillows, wobbly bridges from a shoe
box, and special tunnels through the legs of a chair. Train sounds begin to
accompany each circle of the track as the train becomes real in RJ's mind. Big
changes took place in one year. The same will happen with your child.
Seldom do we stop and think
about the importance of imaginative play. Yet in the life of your child, it
is a natural thing. In fact, various forms of play are strongest indicators
of healthy emotional growth and a are significant component of a child's orderly
development. Play is not simply a time when a child amuses himself.
With all the pressure these days to educate young children early (even starting
in utero), parents can take heart. Through play and imagination, a child learns.
A child's imaginative play
leads to other forms of learning. Preschoolers mimic. A little voice down the
hall engages in a one-way conversation. "Now girls, look at Mommy's face
and pay attention. We're going to the store and the two of you need to obey
Mommy with a happy heart," says three-year-old Ashley to her favorite dolls.
Here Ashley recounted what she knew about going to the store with Mom and let
her imagination direct her play toward her dolls. Obviously, she had an impression
from her life that she transferred into her make-believe world. Thus both imitation
and imagination work hand in hand. The value of such play is worth noting. It
not only stimulates a child's thinking, but also reflects what he is learning
and how he is learning it. The next time you overhear your child's one-way conversation,
listen carefully to the tone of voice used. For better or for worse, you might
hear your own.
There is more! Your child's
imagination is facilitated by another significant facet of his life, and that
is play. Sometimes your child's imagination can interfere with your reality.
Perhaps you casually remove the stuffed brown monkey from the kitchen counter
only to learn you've inadvertently cut short his heat therapy by the toaster.
Now someone besides the monkey is decidedly unhappy. Other times, and this is
the good stuff, your child's imagination enhances your reality. In other words,
Mom should take advantage of the child's imagination to achieve some healthy
goals. Like when the lumps of steamed broccoli become foot soldiers, preparing
to march off to war against the formidable flu germ enemy causing his cold.
Get clever-make his imagination work for you.
Article
by Gary Ezzo / Anne Marie Ezzo
