25 Ways To Stimulate A Child's Imagination

Using your imagination and being creative is a major part of life.  People who are creative are not only those in the arts, but those who can problem solve and create solutions to major problems.  In my experience teaching young people in middle and high school, I have witnessed many students who unfortunately have lost their sense of imagination and have limited their own creative abilities.  

Children are very creative when they are young, but somewhere along the way we have put children into boxes and by the time they are ready to graduate from the public school system they are able to pass a standardized test, but have trouble problem solving and using their imagination.  In the day to day hustle of our lives, let us not forget the importance of the imagination.
Below are 25 ways you can stimulate your imagination. They are not only for children, these can apply to the parent as well.  :)

1. Tell oral stories have your child close his eyes and imagine.
2. When reading a book to your children, stop halfway and ask her how she imagines the rest of the story.
3. Have your child “read” books that have only pictures but no text.  Have your child tell you what’s going on in the story and provide alternative interpretations for each picture.

4. Have fun with painting.  Do not instruct your child on how to paint, let her use her imagination trying, testing and, making mistakes.  This is part of the creative process.  Mix colors, try new textures.

5. Create characters with playdough.

6. Create things with Legos.  Dont give your child a mission, but simply ask your child, what are you crating today?
7. Create sock puppets and make a puppet theater creating characters, voices, and story-lines.
8. Make shadow puppets and create a storyline.
9. Dramatic role play, pretend to be an animal, an astronaut, or a tree.
10. Invent a song, pick up or create your own musical instruments and encourage your child to create new lyrics and melodies.  
11. Ask your child to create a new language and speak it with him.
12. Take a walk in a park and pick up objects to use in a project or make up a story on the way back home?
13. Upcycle, ask your child how you can reuse old corks, baby wipe boxes, plastic plates or cardboard.
14. Play dress up.
15. Connect with nature.
16. Do lots of science experiments.
17. Take a bed sheet and talk about all the things it can become, ie) a tent, a cape, etc.
18. Allow your child to get BORED.  If your child complains of boredom, do not be quick to offer a solution, allow them to come up with their own.
19. Be silly with your child.  Often times the key to being creative is letting go of stuffiness.
20. Model creativity, children become their parents in so many ways.
21. When coming up with a solution to a problem, do not always insist on the correct answer, but encourage your child to have many ideas about a potential solution.
22. Be patient in conversations with your child, do not cut him or her  off when answering  a question.  Allow your child time to complete his or her thoughts even if it takes a while.  Giving your child your full attention will boost his or her self esteem, thus providing more space for creativity.
23. Be spontaneous and encourage your child to do the same.  
24. Allow for unstructured playtime.
25. Openly praise and encourage your child when he or she initiates creative activities like exploration or providing out of the box ideas or solutions.  

What do you do to stimulate your child's imagination?