You’ve probably noticed that your two year old is quite an imaginative little person already. He or she might pretend to be anything from a policeman to a princess, and that’s perfectly normal. In fact, imagination is one of the basic skills your child is using to learn and develop, and at this age, most children are imaginative by default.
As your child’s language skills develop, you’ll discover more and more just how fertile that imagination is.
Of course, your child doesn’t need help dreaming up those fantastic stories and schemes – but it’s a lot more fun if you join in. The more you can play imaginative games with your child, read stories about fantastic things, and enjoy pretending together, the better.
As your child gets older, his or her imagination will improve, and it’s this that gives your child the ability to pretend that the couch is a boat, that the dog is a dragon, and any of the other crazy and fun games he or she dreams up.
But it’s not all about fun. Imagination plays a big role in development too. Your child’s vocabulary, problem solving abilities, social skills and ability to take control and assert him or herself are all tied into to exercising that amazing imagination.
You can feed this learning, by providing your child with toys and accessories that allow him or her to play imaginative games better. A box of dress up clothes, or of props can work wonders, as can a child sized doll house. Toys designed to look like grown up things – whether it’s cars, a microscope or a toy guitar, all help too. Buy books with fantasy themes, and read them together, or watch movies together, and then act out scenes. The more different experiences your child is exposed to, the more he or she will be developing his or her imagination, so make sure you plan plenty of fun expeditions, and make up stories about everything as you go along.
As your child’s language skills develop, you’ll discover more and more just how fertile that imagination is.
Of course, your child doesn’t need help dreaming up those fantastic stories and schemes – but it’s a lot more fun if you join in. The more you can play imaginative games with your child, read stories about fantastic things, and enjoy pretending together, the better.
As your child gets older, his or her imagination will improve, and it’s this that gives your child the ability to pretend that the couch is a boat, that the dog is a dragon, and any of the other crazy and fun games he or she dreams up.
But it’s not all about fun. Imagination plays a big role in development too. Your child’s vocabulary, problem solving abilities, social skills and ability to take control and assert him or herself are all tied into to exercising that amazing imagination.
You can feed this learning, by providing your child with toys and accessories that allow him or her to play imaginative games better. A box of dress up clothes, or of props can work wonders, as can a child sized doll house. Toys designed to look like grown up things – whether it’s cars, a microscope or a toy guitar, all help too. Buy books with fantasy themes, and read them together, or watch movies together, and then act out scenes. The more different experiences your child is exposed to, the more he or she will be developing his or her imagination, so make sure you plan plenty of fun expeditions, and make up stories about everything as you go along.