Children have such creative imaginations. Toys have come a long way from wooden ABC blocks. But even with the old blocks, one block becomes a dog house; two or three become table and stool(s). In their mind, the sky’s the limit.
Watching my granddaughter play the other day, I realized what we lose as adults by conforming to the way other people think. The creativity that we had as children no longer exists. For this lack of creativity, businesses and the world as a whole is losing out.
Toys help the child be inquisitive, solve a problem, or even allow the child to use its own set of rules, this is how new games are created. This web site has such toys available.
I have a friend who 40 years ago spun for the Colorado Lottery and won over several million dollars. Suddenly, their children could afford to buy any toy they wanted. The mother noticed after a couple of months that her children were not putting their imagination to use like they had in the past. No more oatmeal boxes creating high rise buildings, tunnels or covered bridges over imationary rivers. No more pillow cushions off the couch being made into jails. No more blankets and chairs being made into tunnels from one imaginary house to another. She missed watching them create games; using the materials at hand and the imaginations in their heads.
A couple of weeks ago I attended a science night for kindergarten and 1st graders. I was amazed at the presentations by the teachers for that age group. Bubbles were demonstrated by passing a hand through the bubble without popping the bubble, making a square bubble, and a bubble inside a bubble. Another example was making water jump just by vibrations of the hand created by circling the rim of the bowl. Even my imagination was going round and round.
All the children were interested, involved and many questions came to their minds.
I salute those teachers!
How do we get this lost talent back?
Growing up I had a brother that was always thinking of ways to get out of work. The common criticism in the family was that he was lazy. He was not lazy, but thinking of a better way to get the job done with less effort. These are the type of people that create new tools, better mouse traps, and put the wheel to more uses that simplify our lives.
So let the kids play their imaginary games. Let them build the imaginary city or make cinnamon rolls out of mud with rocks for raisins. Too soon the society will plunge these children into realism of the status quo. Just let kids be kids! How wonderful to be free to think what you want to think without someone saying, “You can’t do that because…..” I remember playing with my brothers when I was about 3, (I had 3 older brothers) and one brother said to me, “you can’t play with that because you are a girl.” I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I can too!” Today I build projects, put up crown molding, tile floors, paint anything that does not move and use a chainsaw like a pro. Yes, I can too!
How to get your imagination back? Play with children, they will teach you again what imagination can do. It is really very exciting to be at that level once more. Help build the fort out of blankets, find the arms and legs for the snowman and fill the balloon for the water fight. The sky is really the limit!
Yes, they also need to be taught about real life, but that will come soon enough, about 1st grade when the child is 6. Do not deny the creative part! Channel that energy and keep them interested in the side of life that is most enjoyable for all of us. To create is to be productive. Society needs productive people to make a future and keep from stagnation.