Time to let imaginations of our children bloom

Librarians love the school holidays. Our spaces become more exciting and creative, bustling with people of all ages coming together.

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 wha¯nau 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 practice creativity.

We encourage different experiences, listening to a variety of music and reading different stories. In fact, neuroscientists have found that reading fiction was found to improve imagination in a way that is like muscle memory in sports.

Our tamariki and rangatahi are bursting with imagination and creative ability, but as we grow and our world is filled with knowledge, facts, and structure, it’s no wonder that as an adult my own creative energy has shrunk.

Astronomer Carl Sagan has said “imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.”

So, if you prefer to stay grounded, don’t just think of imagination as fantasy, fairy tales and dreaming up the impossible.

Imagination is picturing what could be possible. Without it, we couldn’t see ourselves anywhere other than where we are. Would we travel? Forge new friendships? Picture our dream job? Or even try a new recipe?

So, let’s all slow down, read a book and leave space to let our imaginations bloom.