10 Surefire Ways to Fuel Your Kids’ Imagination

Last month, I published a blog post with 10 picture books that encourage kids’ imagination. This month, I wanted to explore some additional strategies. Following are 10 ways to fuel your kids’ imagination to support their development and enrich their lives.

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“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. – Albert Einstein

One of my favorite things about kids is how they can turn ordinary, everyday objects into something magical. In the hands of an imaginative child, a stick becomes a dragon-slaying sword, a towel becomes a superhero’s cape, and dandelions become show-stopping jewelry. And all of it should be encouraged as much as possible. A strong Imagination is a powerful tool that helps build a child’s development in many areas and countless ways.

Sadly, however, imaginative play is becoming increasingly a dying art form. The popularity of gizmos and gadgets that do all the imagining for kids plus the meteoric rise in technology use has led to a stunting of kids’ imagination.

The good news is, we can reverse the process! Below are 10 ways parents, teachers, and childcare providers can fuel kids’ imaginations.

Why You Should Encourage Imagination in Your Kids

A rich imagination is one of the greatest assets in childhood development. Here are a few reasons we should do everything we can to encourage our kids’ imaginations:

Enhances development and creativity
Strengthens communication skills
Develops critical thinking and problem solving skills
Supports social-emotional development
And so much more!

10 Ways to Fuel Your Kids’ Imagination

Last month, I published a blog post with 10 picture books that encourage kids’ imagination. This month, I wanted to explore some additional strategies. Following are 10 ways to fuel imagination to support your kids’ development and enrich their lives.

1. Model It.

Rich imaginations aren’t just good for kids – they’re good for adults, too! Plus, as with anything we want to pass on to our kids, purposefully engaging and cultivating our own imaginations in front of our kids will make it much more likely that they will do the same.

Do you consider yourself “imagination-impaired” these days? Here’s an interesting TEDxMileHigh article about how to expand your imagination in 8 days.

2. Choose open-ended toys.

Be intentional about the toys you bring into your home. Try to limit ones that are single-use and do everything for kids. Instead, choose multi-use, open-ended items like building toys, dolls, art supplies, Play-doh, play food, etc.

Favorite Open-Ended Toys:

LEGOs
Magnetic Toys
K’nex
Play-Doh
Plastic Animals
Pretend Food
Dolls
Road Mat for Toy Cars
Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards
Bath Toy Buckets (we’ve used ours for outdoor water play, as well!)

Helpful Posts:

3. Ask questions, and encourage theirs.

Invite your kids to exercise their imaginations by asking them questions such as:

“What would the world be like if…”,
“If … could talk, what would they say?”
“If you could design your own…, what would it be like?”
“What do you think would happen if…”
“What cool inventions do you think will be invented 100 years from now?”
“If you could design your own theme park, what would it be like?”
“How do you think life will be different 100 years from now?”
“If you had three wishes, what would you wish for and why?”

On the flip side (and I know this can be hard!), listen to their questions and try to give your own imaginative answers.

Pro tip: When my brain is just absolutely fried, I turn their questions back over to them by saying something like: “Oooh, that’s such a fun question. What do you think??” They’re always willing to tell me their thoughts, and this way, I’m not shutting down their questioning!

Related Post: 50 Family Conversation Starters

4. Read books that encourage kids’ imagination.

As I mentioned above, I wrote a blog post last month with a list of picture books that fuel kids’ imagination. Read them to the kids in your life, and watch their imaginations flourish!

5. Write imaginative stories together.

The kids and I love to make up stories together. I usually start us off with a creative writing prompt, and they take it from there. (Bonus: this is a FANTASTIC way to occupy kids during times of waiting!)

6. Provide creative materials.

Arts and crafts projects are a great opportunity for kids to use their imaginations. Keep plenty of assorted supplies on hand, and watch their creativity at work!

Here’s list of supplies to keep on hand to fuel your kids’ imagination:

7. Encourage their pretend play.

My daughter is constantly creating her own little make-believe worlds (“Unicornland” being the most frequently visited). I love to join her as enthusiastically as if everything she’s telling me were real. Not only is it nurturing her imagination, it’s developing her descriptive vocabulary.

Here’s a great article about the benefits of pretend play.

Related Post: 10 Things Parents Need to Know About Play

8. Allow plenty of free time.

Writer and philosopher Robert M. Pirsig once noted, “Boredom always precedes a period of creativity.” So, the next time you’re tempted to silence your kids’ complaints of death by boredom by packing their schedules to the brim… don’t! 😉 Allow them plenty of free time (and opportunities to get bored), and watch them put their imaginations to work!

9. Get them outside.

Here’s a fun fact for you: research shows that kids who play in nature tend to play in more diverse, imaginative, and creative ways. Isn’t that interesting?! I’ve seen this phenomenon at work in my own kids. Nature really is the best playground! So, if you want to fuel your kids’ imagination, get them outside!

Helpful Posts:

Recommended Resources:

10. Limit screen time.

I saved this one for last because it’s not exactly a popular piece of advice. 😄 But it truly is one of the best things you can do to fuel your kids’ imagination. Research abounds on how the passivity of TV and most technology games does little (if anything) to encourage imagination… and in many cases actually inhibits it.

It’s not always easy to limit screen time in kids, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges!

Related Post: What I Learned From Our TV “Detox”