Time to let imaginations of our children bloom

• Published date: 30 September 2022

These school holidays we want the library to be a space to let imaginations bloom. Our tamariki use their imaginations to play and revisit experiences, it lets them expand their understanding of the world as it is, but it also leads to curiosity and possibility

My own children have quite different imaginations.

One exists in a mostly imaginary world. I can’t remember hearing him say the words, “I’m bored.” My youngest however, is often asking, “What can I do now?”

When we invite a friend over though, they can play for hours creating stories and games that last all day. Encouraging imagination in our young tamariki not only supports their ability for creative thinking, but researchers have found it is also more likely to have an impact on future learning than knowing letters and shapes.

Children use their imaginations while playing to revisit experiences, allowing them to expand their understanding of the world, but it also leads to possibility and curiosity. As parents, grandparents, and whanau the ways we support imagination in our tamariki are many. We ask them open ended questions, “I wonder what would happen if ... ?”

We give them free, unstructured time.

We encourage art and crafts, allowing our older children to express their imagination and...