Imagination and Monsters – How to Teach Children the Wonders of Imagination: An Imagination Game

Previously published on Yahoo Contributor Network August 2, 2010

"Remember when we were living in the castle, and the monster grabbed me, and wouldn't let me go?" my grandson asked me.

As one who is enchanted by dreams and castles, I couldn't help but want to interpret my grandson's dream. As I usually do, I started asking questions.

"Why wouldn't the monster let you go?"

"I don't know."

"What did the monster look like?"

"You - don't you remember?"

So much for interpretation. I HAD put him in the corner the other day for misbehaving. Was that why he perceived me as a monster? Because I had raised my voice and put him and his sister in two separate corners for mistreating each other?

Or was it the scary movie they had watched that same day? Though the movie was somewhat benign as far as "scary" goes, perhaps to a child Ghostbusters truly is frightening. Maybe the old librarian, with her see-through body and her ability to warp into a monster, had scared him.

Or worse, maybe he thought I looked like the old librarian, and since she turned into a monster, he was afraid I might too.

This episode immediately triggered in me a desire to explain imagination with an Imagination Game. I wanted to explain that monsters in movies were "imagined" into being through ideas that somebody thought into existence. I wanted to show my grandchildren what it was like to create images using only their minds.

So Audrey (five and a half), Nolan (three), and I (age unspecified) sat down at the table for a game of imagination - a What if game.

Audrey, because she was older, came up with her own ideas. Nolan, using bits and pieces from what Audrey and I had concocted, showed us that he understood the concept of imagination quite well, though all of his imaginations, because of the first What if, included ants:

What if ants had human heads and wore clothes?
What if cars had centipede legs instead of wheels?
What if ants could drive cars?
What if people had legs coming out of their heads where ears should be?
What if people could walk on their ears?
What if people drove ants instead of cars?
What if people had wings and could fly?
What if bugs had human hair and human eyes?
What if ants had cars?
What if all you had to do was think about being somewhere and you could instantly be there?
What if people could sit on clouds?
What if cars looked like ants?

The more odd the combination, the more fun we had. The longer we played the Imagination Game, the more we laughed.

The Imagination Game was so much fun, in fact, that we played it again with their ant - I mean, aunt (one of my daughters) the following day.

Playing an Imagination Game requires only one thing - an imagination. But it also necessitates coming up with ideas. Though the process might be difficult for some people at first, with a little practice, anyone can easily come up with fun - and funny - ideas.

Innovative, inventive, and creative minds use this type of method for coming up with inventions, new concepts, and remedies. Why not have fun with it?

Here's how to get those creative juices flowing and to gather ideas for playing an Imagination Game: Look around. Choose two items, any two items. What do those items have in common? What makes them different? How can you combine them into one unique item or ability?

Need an example? Well right now, for instance, I see a brand new bottle of laundry detergent (that I forgot to put in the laundry room) and a magazine.

What if we could throw magazines and laundry detergent into the washing machine, and, when we switched laundry from the washer to the dryer, discovered a brand new wardrobe filled with all the clothes that appeared on the pages of the magazine, freshly clean?

Here's another idea: A giant photo of my son in his Dress Blues sits on my dresser. Draped over his photo are my necklaces. What if he walked out of the photo and handed me the necklace he had purchased for me years ago?

Imagination has no limits. And playing an Imagination Game is one of the most creative activities you can play. I'm hoping the next time they see something scary on TV or at the movies, my grandchildren will remember how imagination played a role in developing frightening images, including monsters.

When we finished the game, I asked Nolan, "Do you think the reason the monster wouldn't let you go was because she loved you, she was trying to protect you, and she wanted to hug you?"

He gave the idea serious consideration, nodded, and said, "Yes."

I straightened my crown, cleaned the castle, and got rid of the monster hiding under my grandson's bed.

image courtesy of morguefile.com

Child's Creativity and Nate's Influence Can Enhance Your Home

Did you ever come across something that has been around for a while, but since you just discovered it, you feel as if you've just invented the cure for cancer? That's how I feel about Nate. Yes, Nate – Nate Berkus.

Though I've never met the man, in my imagination we are friends. Nate is creative, funny, cute, and inspiring. He is also too young for me and he is gay, so my chances of dating him are zero. 

However, I spend more time with Nate than I do with any other man. Yep! One hour a day in Nateland, learning and discovering, imagining and creating. Nate is the ONLY man on the planet who can get me to shop, though I must confess to preferring online shopping to actual shopping (contrary to popular belief, some women really do hate to shop). 

Nate sparks my creativity and once my imagination becomes ignited, my mind explodes with ideas. I start experimenting. My convertible handbag backpack houses all of my finds, whether they come from quaint thrift stores or online specialty shops. As I sift through the contents and wander the aisles (yes, even online), my eyes widen with anticipation.

Maybe a theme would work. How about copper?

OOH! look at that copper top kitchen table. You wouldn't want to cover up that with a table cloth, would you? And maybe some copper kitchen accessories! They would enhance the look of the table and bring out its coppery finish. I could even twist some copper wiring in such a way as to make an attractive wall hanging.

Or how about that copper top table with branch legs? Oh oh – what about the rest of the room – or the rest of the house for that matter? I know. I'll ask the kids. All we need is one original and innovative idea to jumpstart everybody's imagination. I could have one of the kids create a sculpture out of pennies.

Or we could spray paint copper leaves on a canvas, remove the leaves, and unveil a beautiful piece of art (thank you to my daughter, Lindsey, for that idea). 

Every project inspires you to become even more creative. And what's nice about creativity is that children seem to have an abundance of it. Their ideas can motivate and encourage you to change the look and feel of your home, using your children as guides. 

Take them shopping with you (for me that means sitting them in front of my laptop). Ask them for their opinions. Find out what colors they would like you to choose for your kitchen, your bathroom, their bedroom.

Your house is not only your home, it is their home. Who knows? They might come up with ideas you might never have considered.

Nurturing Creativity in Children

Audrey and Nolan frequently show Brittney and their grandma (me) their own "talents" as they dance and sing in front of the television while watching America's Got Talent, and previously, American Idol (shown in the background).

This afternoon at lunch, while Audrey, Nolan, and I were discussing jugglers, Audrey wanted to know if jugglers could juggle pizzas and then catch them in their mouths one at a time while juggling the other pizzas.

After some discussion, we decided it might be better if they juggled pieces of pizza rather than the whole pie, because the juggler might have difficulty eating an entire pizza while juggling. (But then, what do I know about juggling?)

As we continued eating, Audrey's eyes got their familiar gleam as she looked at her glass. "I got an idea! Why don't jugglers try to juggle glasses of water!"

Now, THAT would be phenomenal if jugglers could juggle glasses of water, I told her.

I love her ability to conceive of ideas and I strive to nurture her creativity by applauding her ideas and discussing them with her (though I have to admit that sometimes I have to laugh).

Creativity doesn't always magically manifest into tangible products. How many patents sit in the patent office, even the 1,093 belonging to Thomas Edison, that haven't materialized?

Creativity is the ability to take two concepts, related or not related, and put them together in a completely new way. Children have minds that are so open to possibilities that creativity is just waiting to be nurtured. Natural explorers who are adept at asking why, children often come up with some pretty creative ideas (some very funny) and will present some very convincing arguments for their ideas if parents would only ask.

The next time your child comes up to you with a new idea, listen for that seed of creativity and nurture it. You might be surprised – and you might find some genius ideas sprouting!

The photo of Audrey and Nolan was posted in another blog Who Wants a Poppochino?

Never Lose Sight of Your Own Creativity

We spend our days dealing with the stresses of jobs, children, obligations, and so much more. Carving out time for ourselves is sometimes impossible, but it can be done. See what one mom of two does in her "spare" time HERE.