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Okay, so camp is over, they've seen all
the new movies and how many times can you go to the pool or play
miniature golf, anyway?
Exploit this time to trigger your child's
imagination!
Once you've introduced your
child to her imagination, and she's exercised it (like a muscle
that is stiff at first but after a while begins to work smoothly),
she will find it easier to plug into it at will.
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Easier said than done, you say? Well, have
you ever seen a toddler who gets a toy in a box, puts aside the
toy and fills the box with bottle caps which then morph into little
men from mars/soldiers/kids at the mall? That child is exercising
the ability to suspend reality and create a reality of his own.
This is imagination.
How can you help your child embrace this
gift? (And it is a gift that will last for life.) Once you've
introduced your child to her imagination, and she's exercised
it (like a muscle that is stiff at first but after a while begins
to work smoothly), she will find it easier to plug into it at
will.
Some suggestions follow on how to create
a Develop-the-Imagination Opportunity while bonding with Mom and/or
Dad at the same time:
- Start by identifying what it is that
turns your child on and think about ways to relate to those
topics that are "out of the box," different from what
he's experienced till now.
- Introduce your child to the wonder
of things around him and offer some perks in the process. Does
she like stars? Let her stay up beyond her bedtime, buy an astronomy
book and learn together how to identify the constellations.
(Check out
Star-Gazing: Things Are Looking Up - And So Are We.)
- Does he like butterflies or insects?
Help him look them up at the local library, on the net or in
nature magazines. Tape a large piece of white paper up somewhere
in his room or elsewhere in the house and buy him some new paints
to create her own butterfly mural.
- Is she a teen heavy into music? Accompany
her to a rock concert (if she lets you come.) That's bonding
you can't beat. Then have a real conversation with her (well,
maybe it's enough to just listen to the CD together) about why
she likes this particular group. She may be amazed you really
care and you may learn something.
- If your child is a toddler, go on a
nature walk with a big basket. Collect leave, pine cones and
pebbles and go home and create a statue or 3-D piece of art.
- Is sports her thing? Ask her to give
a five-minute talk every evening at dinner about a different
athlete. Suggest that she download photos and record charts
from the Web to illustrate.
- Are you raising a team of young couch
potatoes? Come up with a few questions to trigger their thinking
while they're watching. Ask them to give you a review of the
story in that 23 minute segment, what the relationships are
between the characters, how would they have solved the problem?
For more ideas on this, go to The
Family View on Films. Introduce your child to some relatives
or friends who live farther away. Buy some (hard copy!) stationery
and suggest that he write a real letter. If the addressees have
e-mail, show him how to create his own stationery. (You may
learn something about your mail program in the process, too!)
For ideas on connecting with relatives, check out The
Treasure Chest. Letter writing? Try our RealLetters.
Write books! Whether online or off, help your child develop
a story line and protagonists. Better yet, write it together!
This can be done with any age. Send what's she's written to
a publication. No matter how local, her eyes will shine when
she sees her name in print! Not accepted? Print your own family
magazine!
The list can go on and on. Go ahead --
lie down on the grass or put your feet up on your balcony or patio
and make your own list of imaginative triggers to offer your child.
It will give your own imagination a well-deserved work-out!
Enjoy each other's company, enjoy your
imaginations and help each other "flow"!
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