We want our children to be creative. We want them to have amazing ideas, have the ability to solve all kinds of problems, and be happy all the time. Every child should have a magical childhood that they can always remember even when they get old.

 

How do we spark children’s imagination?

 

1. Change our own attitude. We make statements such as, “The sun is yellow, not red,” or “The elephant should be gray, not blue.” We like to teach children facts so much that we unconsciously kill their imagination. Therefore, we should change our attitude. We should be more open-minded and less judgmental. We should encourage them to be creative. Don’t be concerned that focusing on imagination and creativity will leave education behind. In fact, creative children are often better learners. They can think in many different ways.

 

2. Give them some play time. Children these days have to learn a lot of things. They take so many after school lessons that they never have some free time to play. They are not able to enjoy the privilege of being a child. Let them play! When we design games or buy toys for them, we should avoid the ones that can only be played one way or have long instructions. We need to make them think by themselves. This can foster their creativity and imagination.

 

3. Let them read. Children love stories! We can read them stories before bed, or even let them read stories to us. When children read stories, they usually let their own amazing ideas take over. They may even have the ability to write their own stories. We should encourage it. If they have questions regarding the stories, before we answer their questions, we should ask them what they think the answers would be.