How to Boost a Child's Imagination

Imagination is almost as important to growing children as their intelligence. Researchers have found that having a healthy imagination as a child is key for college success later in life. Tests are now geared towards measuring your child's creativity in addition to their academic knowledge.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Schedule unstructured playtime. Let your child decide what she wants to do for at least an hour a day to boost her imagination. Participate however she wants you to.
2. Set the example. Show your child you like to try new things and he'll be more likely to as well. Nurture his sense of curiosity by displaying your own. Take different routes to the park, visit different ice cream stores and be more spontaneous in your daily life. Make a big deal out of it by pointing out the surprising differences to your child.
3. Recycle scraps for playtime. If your child sees you reusing old milk cartons for building blocks or making macaroni faces on paper plates, she'll start thinking up her own ideas, thus boosting her imagination.
4. Have story-telling time. Create a story together, one line at a time. Or tell a new story to your child often and let her change or decide the endings.
5. Keep an area designated for arts and crafts, which are some of the best ways to boost a child's imagination. Have play dough for sculpting, finger paints for portraits and paper for cutting up.
6. Play dress up. You can buy costumes at the store, or you can allow your child to play with some of your clothes around the house. Pretending to be someone or something else is an effective way to boost his imagination.
7. Take your child to play dates. Interacting with other children allows him to create fantasies, and each child stimulates the others with new perspectives.