Can’t remember the last time you were a world-renowned chef or a 1960’s hobo riding the rails?
Imagination is one of those things that seems inherent, but think back and try to remember the last time you imagined an original (to you) story like you did as a kid. Sadly, playing with your imagination isn’t like riding a bike, you can’t just pick it up again after years of having put it down. It’s sad to watch someone lose their childlike wonder as they grow up, especially your own child. So here’s a little list of some fun ways to encourage your child’s imagination, and maybe even improve your own.
Write A Play
Channel your inner Shakespeare and write a play with your little one! It doesn’t have to be good, it just has to be fun! The more made up words and silly situations, the better. Did you know that a fair amount of words that Shakespeare is now famous for weren’t technically even words at the time he was writing? If he couldn’t think of a word that expressed what he wanted, he just made one up! Then, act it out for a friend or a family member. Bonus points if you record it! It might seem trifling now, but you’ll be glad you did when your little one gets older.
Make Puppets
Okay, okay, we know puppets can sometimes be creepy…but not always! One of our favorite activities is to help your child make puppets of their favorite book characters and then you can recreate favorite scenes in the book or even better — make new ones! Nothing too fancy required here, this activity could be as simple as printing out pictures of the character (for example: a knight, or a goose, or Harry Potter), coloring them in, and gluing them onto a popsicle stick. Voila! Instant (and definitely not scary) puppet!
Create A Board Game
Yes! Maybe it’s based on a game you already love or is an entirely new concept, but get yourself some basic supplies and let the creativity flow. We took the liberty of making up an easy board game starter kit out of common household supplies:
- Paper & Pencil – for keeping score or drawing a board
- Coins – perfect playing pieces!
- A deck of cards
- 1–3 dice
Bake Without A Recipe
Crazy, right? No! Basic baked goods are well, basic. Get yourself some flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, butter, salt and you’re good to go! Mix them all up and get yourself some delicious cookies. If baking without a recipe is just too much (don’t worry, we get it), we have some fun alternatives in mind. After you’ve made your batter, add some flavor to your cookies by changing the type of chips or adding some vanilla/almond/other extracts. Also, there’s no law against frosting chocolate chip cookies! Pick up some icing and decorations for cheap at the grocery store and go wild! The best part? A sugary reward for all your hard work.
Do all of these activities sound super fun but you have to go to work? We know the feeling. Save your favorites for the weekend and send your child to A World Of Discoveries daycare during the week! We play all these fun games and more. Contact us today to get information about enrollment.