Why the sudden revelation, you ask. Well, this article on How To Raise An Imaginative Child made me realise that I was playing with Ignatius in the most boring ways possible!
So after work, we trooped back to our precious little boy, racking our brains on how to be Imaginative. Daddy wasn't too bad at it...but Mommy has no clue!
We found Ignatius holding a truck/trailer when we got home. He had learnt how to roll the truck on the ground and go "Vroom Vroom", so he was doing just that on the coffee table. Right, how Imaginative of his parents to teach him that. So, in a bid to be creative and help him on the pathway to Creativity, we taught him somthing Out-Of-The-Box.
"Ignatius, look at the truck fly!" Mommy takes the truck and flies it in the air...left to right, u-turn, right to left. "Fly! Fly! Fly!"
Ignatius stares at us, grabs the truck, and immediately copies. "Thluck, fly fly!" and waves the truck thru the air as well. Wow...the article wasn't kidding about this:
Right now, your toddler's brain is much denser than it will be later, and it's forging the pathways that it will follow for the rest of his life. A connection that's used repeatedly becomes permanent, whereas one that's not used (or is used infrequently) may not survive. That's why experts are now putting so much emphasis on the first three years: Everything you do with your toddler, from reading, singing, and playing to eating and walking, helps jump-start his brain. As you expose him to new sights, sounds, and sensations, you open his mind to a bigger, more exciting world. And when you use your imagination and encourage him to use his — "Look, I'm a tiger in the jungle!" "Let's pretend we're going on a long trip" — you spark his brain to forge "imagination pathways" of his own.
My 5 yr old nephew-in-law comes along and goes "Truck doesn't fly...". Right.
Anyway, to continue on our Imagination-drive...
Ignatius grabbed hold of a disposable container of almond-jelly as we left for home, and refused to let go. So instead of battling with him to remove it, and subsequently stuffing a very resistant toddler into the car seat, we let him hang onto it, and guided him along to pretend-play that it is a steering wheel! He had so much fun going "Vroom Vroom" in the car seat, and turning the wheel left-right just like Daddy in the driver's seat. Not bad...this boy's imagination has hope yet!
The next day, Ignatius grabbed hold of some link-blocks. How shall I describe them...they're like Lego bricks (as in stackable and linkable) but in the shape of ice cream sticks. Daddy joins them up to form...what else...a steering wheel. Ignatius didn't require any guidance this time. He took and wheel and "Vroom Vroom" around the house.
So, suddenly, a whole new world of pretend-play has opened up to us. And we don't have to purchase pretend-play kichenette sets, or pretend-play tool boxes. The necessary tools are lying everywhere around us. If only we open our eyes...and minds! Wish us luck! Any suggestions on creative play are of course most welcomed!
said...
ur posts always leave interesting insights and ideas for our young toddlers. ;)
said...
is it? thanks!
thought my posts always show wat a silly mommy iggy has.
=)