Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.’ – Walt Disney
My 2.5 year old keeps me on my toes. She wants to know and do everything on her own. When I moved into this newly painted house, 6 months ago ; I was concerned that she would scribble and paint the walls and spoil the look of my house. And that really did happen. A part of me was so disappointed and when someone suggested that I put a blackboard on the wall, I leaped on that idea. I ordered one from Amazon which can stick to the wall.
Soon we were all drawing, painting, writing on that board. My husband, her cousins, the house help were all putting together stories around the figures each of us made on the board for her.
A lot of times, these sessions where she scribbles give me a peak into her amazing connects that she is building between her world and her surroundings. they give me a glimpse of the development of her thought process and the vividity of her imaginations.
In today’s times with so much media all around and toy laden stores, distraction is natural. What can you as parents do to nurture your children’s imagination ?
Let’s have a look:
- Inculcate ways to make OBSERVATION a habit with children. They see things around us more intently than us. Listen to them. Try to see what they see.
- When children are telling you a story or narrating an anecdote their way, do not try to correct them. It’s perfect the way they say and see it. In fact encourage this endevour thoroughly.
- Sit with them on the porch or balcony and point out the wonder of nature. Show them how to see stars, clouds, trees etc.
- They will ask questions as they grow older. Lot of questions. Try in your best capacity to answer them. Do not lose your mind else you may lose out on their attention soon
- You must ask questions to them too. What are they thinking, what they are making, what they are drawing, what are they seeing, and what are they feeling. Let them know you understand and not ridicule
- Read a lot. Read out loud. It will enhance their language skills, comprehension and structural thinking
- Encourage pretend play. Keep things near at hand for them to discover. Scarves, utensils, accessories, some toys, anything. Watch how they create their own narrative.
Lets nurture our children s imagination to build them into healthy & confident human beings.
Dr Shruti Jaiswal is founding team member of Parwarish and mother to 2.5 year old.
