My kids are seldom allowed to play outside the house. Aside from school in the morning, the rest of the day is spent indoors. This may be boring to some but, thankfully, my kids are able to keep themselves entertained even while I’m doing house chores.

You see, though they may be stuck inside our home, my kids get to go to magical places – to any place their wild imagination can take them. One moment they’re Sophia the First and James having an adventure in their kingdom. The next moment, they’re helicopters spinning around or hovering over a mountain. Sometimes, they’re dinosaurs looking for food or animals in a zoo.

Jakei, No! Get off! That’s my horse.

In our home, their bikes turn into horses, big bolster pillows turn into boats, pillows are used to build houses, blankets become tents, and so forth. Even their toys come to life with names of their own – and voices too. Through their imagination, our home is so much bigger than the few square meters of space in our apartment unit.

What is imaginative play?

Imaginative play is the use of one’s imagination to create make-believe scenarios. This is when children are able to play different roles in various scenarios formed from their own wild imagination. Dressing up or using props can help make imaginary play more fun but they are not necessary at all. All you really need is a child – and a parent – full of fun ideas.

Why encourage imaginative play?

Imaginative play is a great way to develop a child’s imagination. Aside from developing a child’s imagination, imaginative play also helps develop verbal and social skills. Self-expression is encouraged and so is interacting with other children. It is also a good way for a child to understand his emotions and is in fact used as a therapy for emotionally disturbed children. Some studies even show that children who were encouraged to be imaginative had greater appetite for learning.

How to develop imagination?

Turn off the TV. My kids are allowed to watch child-friendly television shows but they are not allowed to stay glued in front of the television all day. I do let them watch a few of their favorite shows – Sophia the First, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Mia & Me being their current favorites; the stories of which often continues when the TV is turned off. I myself love watching my two preschoolers pretend to be Sophia and James or Izzy and Cubby more than watching the actual shows.

Read stories together. When my children were toddlers, we had plenty of board books with colorful pictures. Now that they can read, we’ve switched to short story books. Reading stories is a wonderful way to fuel their imagination. Aside from this, reading early in life and regularly fosters a deep love for books and the written word.

Tell stories together. Some parents may feel that they are bad storytellers and shy away from weaving stories of their own. The thing is, to a child there is no bad story. The mere fact that you are spending time with them is already something special for them. Your story – however boring or awful you think it is – is icing to the cake. I myself do run out of stories at times. In these cases, I let the kids help me weave the stories. You’d be surprised at how well a child can make wonderful stories.

These are just three easy things to do to start off your journey into imaginative play.  Do remember that it is supposed to be fun for everyone so don’t stress yourself trying to create the perfect scenario.  Kids are very easy to please and their imaginations naturally rich.  All they really need is a wee bit of encouragement from you.