The Captain has always had an extraordinary imagination. Mostly we have encouraged it. (We did get a bit fed up with Pup and Dink though!) I was doing the shopping a couple of days ago. Kids in the trolley. The Captain was in the main basket sitting facing the front and pretending to drive the trolley. He was steering an imaginary wheel, braking and grinding through the gears to his hearts content. I pulled up at the Bakery to pick up some bread and a little boy appproached about the same age as the Captain. With a withering glance, he scathingly said: "you're not driving." The Captain's little shoulders slumped and he turned to look at me, confusion and hurt in his eyes. I just felt and saw his spirit crushed. The lioness protecting her cub roared! Loudly I announced to the Captain to take no notice, an imagination is a wonderful thing, drive on. He didn't do it again though.
I have thought about this incident a lot over the past few days, then we visited a playground on the other side of town. The Captain befriended a little boy that was a carbon copy of himself. Wavy dark hair and eyes. Both in green t-shirts and board shorts. Is that why they started playing? I don't know, but it didn't take long for them to start playing fire engines, explorers, dinosaur hunters... they had a fantastic time together! When it was time for Tom to leave his mum approached and commented that Tom struggled to find playmates as they often don't seem to understand imaginary play. We swapped numbers and despite the hour long drive between our homes have organised to play again. I guess when you find like minded people you snatch the moment.
Is the lack of imaginary play amongst kids now the result of watching too much television or spending hours in front of computer games? Love to hear what others think!
That is so great that you traded phone numbers. My daughter believes that a princess lives at the top of a set of stairs at a beautiful old church that we like to visit (she's almost 5). Almost every time we drive past she was asks if the princess is still asleep. Once my son said that there wasn't really a princess. I almost had a heart attack! I gave him a look that has kept him from ever mentioning it again.
ReplyDeleteI do think that it is hard to find kids who get into imaginary play like that. I think if you give kids the tools (like dress up clothes, blocks, crayons and paper!), and encourage them to entertain themselves, they will come up with the most amazing things!
Oh stop! I would have stepped on that other kid in the shop's toe (just kidding, sort of). I LOVE the way little boys are full of imagination, my eldest can make a game or a story out of anything, it's pure innocence, no fear of being laughed at, just wonderful, magical imagination, long may it last!
ReplyDeleteI think it is wonderful that children are full of imagination ... sad for children who are not encouraged to use it!!! as for tv, computer games etc etc - there is just to much of it and it gets used to keep kids quiet...especially in the car - what's wrong with a bit of eye spy or spot the beetle car to keep children amused ? happy friday emma... you got me thinking on this post x
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