Children live the world of fantasy and the world of Imagination.

• You can find children talking to an imaginary friend.
• You can find children playing as adults, as animals, even as furniture.
• In a school play, children do not mind playing the role of a butterfly or a blade of grass or even a tree. Isn’t this the truth?

Children want their parents to imagine with them. Children want to share their world of imagination with their parents. Most importantly, children NEED the help of parents to help them to imagine.

Children love it when you discuss the future and the possibilities of tomorrow. When you show them how great their life will be with certain small changes today. When talking about the possibilities you can see a shine in the eyes of the kids. You can nurture the seed of imagination in your child.

Talk to them with a smile, with dollops of excitement, with loads of belief and most importantly, talk with excited anticipation. That will help the child imagine and also make imagination FUN.

On a certain bad day when you are worked up, if there are threats, doubts or a possible sarcasm in your tone, it hurts the self-esteem of the kid. It fills the child with a sense of doubt. We don’t want that right?

Let’s take an example –

When your child asks – “Mamma, can I become a cook?”. What will you say in return?

Here are a few possibilities and probable responses. Which one do you choose?

1. Encourage – “Of course you can my son. I am sure you will do excellently well as a cook.”
2. Discourage – “Study now, think about such things late.”
3. Ignore – Get busy in something of your own and pretend not to hear.
4. Distract – You ask your child to go and play and get his mind off it.
5. Participate – “So do you want to cook Indian or Italian?”, “Do you want to work in a 5 Star Hotel or open a cafe of your own?”

When you show your child the power of imagination, the child sees a future they can believe in. It opens doors of possibilities.

Here are things you can do to show encouragement –

1. You can take the child through the steps of cooking.
2. Let them come help you in the kitchen.
3. Give them small responsibilities in the kitchen.
4. Talk to kids about the first time you cooked, this will help you boost the child’s self-confidence.
5. Teach them day-to-day cooking hacks.

Let’s look at another scenario that might be common in a few households.

It is one of those days when you find your kid a little distracted and not able to focus on studies. You also had an extremely bad day at office. In those rare days, you might end up saying statements like –

1. If you don’t study well, your future is very dark.
2. If you don’t study well, God knows what will happen to you.
3. Do you realize how much competition is there?
4. You have no future if you don’t pay attention to your studies.

Burdened with work, you might have said such things. It was a sudden outburst. We understand that you worried about the child and his future. We also know you did not mean it. However, your kid does not know you did not mean it. Uff

When irritated, take a step back and think what are the words that you wish to say to your child? Remove the filters of fear, threats, and negativity.

In the same situation, an effective approach is –

A dialogue between you and your son can get the ball rolling. You can start with, “I can see you today you cannot focus well on your studies. I understand the struggle because sometimes in my childhood also I could not focus. So it is okay.”

Ask him, “Do you want to know how I used to handle it?”

Tell him your story, “Every time I found out that I am not being able to focus, I used the write the word FOCUS in big bold letters and paste in on my desk. I would also draw a mickey mouse near it. Since he was my favorite cartoon character, it was like Mickey is asking me to focus.” Tell him how that technique helped you a lot to focus.  

Ask him, “Want to give something like that a shot?”

Tell him, “See, today I am successful in life because I used such a technique. Imagine you are super successful in life tomorrow, you can teach your kids the same.”

You will see the kid super interested in your story and willing to work towards the beautiful picture you just painted in front of him. With these kinds of personal stories from your past, you can help boost the child’s self-confidence with the power of imagination.

Did you know all revolutions began as an ‘imagination’? I am sure you did.

Did you know all scientific inventions are rooted in ‘imagination’? I am sure you did.

Children, by birth, are experts in ‘imagination’. They just need a company that supports their power of imagination. They need someone who motivates them to imagine, who believes in their imagination and who gently guides them in imagining.

Who can do this better than the lovely parents? You understand your kids the best. They love to engage you in ‘dream’ dialogues.

Help your kids visualize what is possible even if NO ONE has done it yet!! When the kids imagine with the parents, they feel deeply secure.

Can you IMAGINE yourself doing this? I am sure you can. That is exactly why we imagined this article, isn’t it?

If you are already inculcating the power of imagination in your child, you are a WOW Parent!

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Here’s our kickass theme reveal post for #AtoZChallenge

Here’s the 1st post for #AtoZChallenge – Are you a Parent with Smart questions?

Here’s the 2nd post for #AtoZChallenge – What is a Parent’s greatest legacy?

Here’s the 3rd post for #AtoZChallenge – Have you taught your kids how to deal with failure?

Here’s the 4th post for #AtoZChallenge – How to deal with Anxiety and depression in children?

Here’s the 5th post for #AtoZChallenge – 7 way in which FREE Play benefits Children

Here’s the 6th post for #AtoZChallenge – Communication – A Key To Build A Strong Foundation in Kids

Here’s the 7th post for #AtoZChallenge – Age-based Communication in Parenting

Here’s the 8th post for #AtoZChallenge – Importance of Quality Family Time

Here’s our 9th post for #AtoZChallenge –How to raise a child with Empathy

Here’s our 10th post for #AtoZChallenge – Does Raising a Child need validation too?

Here’s our 11th post for #AtoZChallenge – Giving Your Child A Sense Of Belonging To The Family 

Here’s our 12th post for #AtoZChallenge – How Role Models Transform Your Child?

Here’s our 13th post for #AtoZChallenge – The Power Of Unconditional Love

Here’s our 14th post for #AtoZChallenge – How Important Is It To Have A Parenting Structure!

Here’s our 15th post for #AtoZChallenge – Lack of Affection from family can hamper a child’s growth 

Here’s our 16th post for #AtoZChallenge – Appreciate Your Child And Become A WOWParent

Here’s our 17th post for #AtoZChallenge – Abuse By Parents Can Destroy A Child’s Self-Esteem

Here’s our 18th post for #AtoZChallenge – How Frequently Do You Find Yourself Comparing Your Child To Someone Else? 

Here’s our 19th post for #AtoZChallenge – A Major Contributor In Creating Complexes In Your Child Is Harsh Discipline

Here’s our 20th post for #AtoZChallenge – Over-Protection By Parents Shakes The Confidence Of The Child 

Here’s our 21st post for #AtoZChallenge – Threats Are Very Dangerous In Parenting, It Hampers Self-Belief

Here’s our 22nd post for #AtoZChallenge – Get Rid Of Unrealistic Expectations Forever

Here’s our 23rd post for #AtoZChallenge – Is ‘Undivided Attention’ With Kids In ‘Coma’? How To Revive It? 

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