In 2019, I was waiting for my children to dive into the world of pretend play. But, at ages 7, 5, 3 and 1, they weren’t doing much of it.
A dinner conversation woke me up to the importance of developing their little imaginations. My friend who works for Pixar told us, “Creative adults don’t become creative. They stay creative.” He explained that moviemakers are imaginative because they spent their childhoods flexing their creative muscles. Very few of his colleagues grew up watching much television. Nope, they were busy pretending and reading and doodling and whittling and writing and exploring outside.
I saw that all children are born creative, they just need opportunities to express and cultivate that natural bent. If they don’t use it, they’ll lose it.
So, I decided to spend six months focusing on giving them plenty of practice. I stocked up on thrift store play clothes, helped them build blanket forts, gave them permission to get dirty and told them of my own childhood imaginative romps. I continued reading aloud excellent stories and reminded them of fairy tales they already knew. Mostly though, I gave them nothing to do for long stretches of time.
They said they were bored. But I knew that boredom was their launchpad to creativity, so I did not swoop in to save them with an activity or tablet. I just let them be bored. Gradually, they started making and pretending and exploring. Their imaginative juices started flowing and the pretend play trend kicked in.
I have watched them build a lean-to fort on a tree trunk and hang a knotted rope swing beside it. They stocked their fort “for the winter” with foraged walnuts, acorns, dandelion and passionfruit then made mud pies and dirt-broth soups in old pots and pans. They washed clothes in rubber bins then hung them to dry on a jump rope. They reenact scenes from The Boxcar Children, Little House on the Prairie and How to Train Your Dragon books. They go on grueling journeys and face many dangers from one end of the yard to the other. They have survived ocean storms in the wagon boat, teamed up with unicorns to fight off an alien invasion and slept a week in a backyard tent. They snipped and beaded their dad’s old shirts to make Indian costumes then made bows and arrows from sticks, chicken feathers and fishing line. They’ve problem-solved and told outlandish stories and searched for fossils and made up their own science experiments.
As I watch them play, I know they are gaining more than good memories- they are growing their imaginations and enriching their own futures by practicing creativity.
Imaginative play has worked its way into our family culture. It spills out the sides like a honey sandwich, blessing us all with laughter and rest and tight relationship. Other skills and affections we have cultivated through the years combine to buttress their play- we surround them with artwork, lavish them with audiobooks, limit their screen time, stock them with craft supplies and send them out to play.
This article was printed in the Winnsboro News in July 2021 as part of the series: Six Months Cultivating Skills, Joys and Habits in Your Children.
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