Games that encourage imagination in children

Any situation can become a game when you are a child. Playing allows learning and improving different areas of development: psychomotor skills, vocabulary, social-emotional skills and how not imagination. We define the imagination as the faculty that allows us to mentally represent objects, persons

We define the imagination as the faculty that allows us to mentally represent objects, persons or situations not present in reality. Virtually all children's games promote this ability although some more than others. We highlight in this article those games that clearly promote the imagination in children, such as play to be, build or create but also invent stories or look for animals hidden in the clouds.

The symbolic game, the game par excellence

The symbolic or role play, that is, the game in which the boy or girl represents or imitates someone, is the game par excellence during the first years of childhood. Role play fosters and stimulates children's imagination to a high degree. To play, for example, to be a fireman, an Indian, a doctor or an astronaut, you have to create a whole reality, with situations and imaginary characters that come from nothing.

For this to be the case we must allow children to choose the character (real or fictional) they wish to be. The less directed by adults is the game, the more imaginative the child will develop, although at times he will need us to give him a push. When this is so, it is better to only propose and / or provide the elements or materials that allow you to recreate your stories.

Cardboard boxes are very useful in these cases because they can easily become spaceships, cabins or castles. We also recommend to have clothes or costumes on hand to use and add more realism to your game, it is always good to have hats, scarves or scarves in a drawer for these situations. Dolls, kitchens, doctor's cases ... are another type of material that helps recreate the imaginary world in which the child wants to be immersed.

Within this type of games we could include games with figurines or small dolls that are sold with or without complements. In these cases the child goes from one character to another adopting and imagining different points of view and personalities.

The games of guiñol, puppets or puppets allow, as well as the role play, to recreate fictitious situations that favor the development of children's imagination.

Other games that stimulate the imagination of children

Beyond the role play there are other types of games that allow children to develop their imagination. The construction games, play with plasticine or look at the clouds are perfect examples of games that stimulate and encourage the imaginative capacity of children.

- Construction games: Construction games are another type of game with a high value for the promotion of the imagination. This type of construction games with pieces whether wood or plastic, fit or not, it does not matter, the important thing is the ability to imagine and create that they encourage. With this type of pieces children can build from a castle or fortress to a whole town where fantastic beings live

- Play with play dough: Play with play dough to create monsters, plants, animals, cakes or cakes favors not only the psychomotor development of hands and fingers if not that promotes the imagination and creativity of the little ones. It is good that we encourage our children to name their creations, to tell us what flavors their dishes have or where their monsters or animals live, in this way they go beyond the manipulative phase.

- Look at the clouds: Look at the clouds and look for hidden animals or ask them to invite a fictional character (from their favorite story, series or movie) at dinner time and sit next to us, with chair and plate to keep An animated conversation with him while we are having dinner is another type of game that stimulates the imagination of our children.

Any situation, any time is good to boost the imagination of our children, you just have to let loose your rich inner world to arise spontaneously. Games like those proposed here are just some forms of expression of that great imaginative capacity that children have, do not let them lose it by limiting, directing in excess or even preventing something as important for their development as the game.