Imaginative play enables children to learn through experiences that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to physically experience. Developing the ability to learn through imagination is also the key to furthering literacy skills. Research shows that demonstration of a decrease in the need for environmental support (real object) is a powerful predictor for writing achievement in Kindergarten.
 
 

What can you do to Stimulate Imagination at Home?

1. Transform objects into new things (i.e. stick becomes a toothbrush, comb, baseball bat

2. Act out a favourite Nursery Rhyme or Fairy Tale, selecting new character roles.

3. Have your child select a few toys from around the house and listen as you create a story incorporating all the items selected.

4. Turn your kitchen into a restaurant or the moon, and eat a meal in a "different" place.

Guide your child through who would be in these places, how would you act when you met these new people, what would you eat, etc..

Reprinted with permission from "The Purple Giraffe Newsletter" by Dr. Karen Halpern, Ed.D.